Copyright

Many types of work are eligible for copyright.  Books and articles, of course; but also software, artwork, photography, music, motion pictures, websites, and choreography can be registered for copyright.  Copyright owners have five exclusive rights: to copy, distribute, display, and perform their works, and to make derivative works.

At the UW, United States copyright law and UW policy govern how works created at the UW are managed. Authorship is determined by U.S. law, and the person who wrote the work is generally the owner of the content. Copyright takes effect immediately, whether or not any paperwork is filed. You do not need to register your work with the United States Copyright Office to have a "copyrighted" work.
 
Someone who only edited the work or came up with the idea for it might not be considered an author and might not have any copyright in the work. In some situations, copyright on material created for an employer is automatically owned by that employer; but at the UW, this does not apply to most faculty work. It may apply to work done as part of a project team, though.  Also, copyright ownership can be transferred by means of the proper agreements.
You can learn more about copyright law from these sources:

  • UW Copyright Connection. Explores many aspects of copyright in the United States. The site is divided into two main sections: what to do when you want to use previously existing material, and how to plan and manage a project which will create copyrightable elements.
  • UW Library Copyright Site
  • United States Copyright Office
  • © Primer at University of Maryland University College, an interactive tutorial on copyright law
  • Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. Provides information about copyright including links to many important laws, such as the Lanham Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the Copyright Act.

UW Digital Millennium Copyright Act Page The University of Washington is committed to ensuring that copyrights in creative works are respected and used appropriately by UW faculty, students, staff and visitors. Our policies require those using our computers or networks to respect U.S. and international copyright laws and failure to do so may result in disciplinary action or termination of access.

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