Activity: Copyright and Sample Publication Contracts

Copyright is a form of intellectual property. Many products of human intellect can be privately owned—just like houses and cars are privately owned. The results of mental effort have been legally protected for a long time. Today, American copyright law is codified in the US Code and has been interpreted in many court decisions. 

Activity: Copyright Crash Course 

• Visit the UW Libraries Copyright Guide
  • Read about the basics of fair use, using copyright protected works,  and Creative Commons licensing.
• Visit the UW Libraries "Nuts and Bolts of Scholarly Publishing" Guide
  • Read the page on "Making Sense of a Journal Publishing Agreement"
  • Read the pages on "Deciding to Sign?" and "Negotiating"
• Visit a publisher website from your field and search for information on author agreements and licensing / Open Access.
  • Example: Wiley Open Access agreements page Links to an external site.

 

Next Up:

• Return to the Activity Breakout or jump to the course conclusion.