For Students

Have you incorporated some or all of another's work in new works that you have created?  For example, used movie clips in an online video or music as background for your own images?  Did you feel that you needed permission from the copyright owner to do so?  If not, was it because you weren't making any money from the use or you felt it was free advertising for the copyright owner?  Perhaps you thought it was acceptable as long as you gave proper credit or attribution.  Or maybe you thought the work was in the public domain or your use would not hurt the owner because he or she was rich enough already?  Any of this sound familiar?

If so, you are certainly not alone. There is a significant need for better general understanding of the use rights of creators. [referring to copyright use rights.] 

The best place to start is with the Copyright Basics Tutorial followed by the Using Copyrighted Works Tutorial.   They are brief, to the point, and may dispel some of the misinformation you might have gathered along the way.

This site is for informational purposes only; it does not track or report copyright infringers and is not a source of legal advice.  In the interests of placing copyright information for NC State students in a central location, the following links are provided:

•  NC State's Copyright Infringement site

•  ResNet's Information on P2P File Sharing

•  Copyright Information for all incoming students (2007, cd format)