Chapters 16 and 35 of the Wisconsin State Statutes regulate state printing and the purchasing of state printing. The Publications Office is responsible for the procurement of all university printing paid by university funds. Failure to follow this channel may result in asking a person to pay for "unauthorized" printing from personal funds.
Student Publications
Printing that is "published by students of the University of Wisconsin System and which is funded solely from student fees or student organization income" is exempt from Chapter 35, although student organizations have the option to utilize the Publications Office and Fast Copy services with the permission of their advisers and the Student Activities Office and on a "time available" basis. For more information regarding student publication guidelines, contact the Leadership Center.
Copyright Considerations
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls conscientiously follows all copyright restrictions. The copyright law (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in e law, universities can make copies of copyrighted materials for use in private study, scholarship, research and limited classroom distribution.
The following information was taken from a memo from UW-Madison's Office of Administrative Legal Services. The infringement which receives the most attention in the courts is the continued use of a copyrighted piece without ever securing permission to do so.
The Copyright Law
Under the copyright law, the copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the work. Copyright begins in the act of composition and belongs to the author for life and to his/her heirs for 50 years thereafter. You, as an author, have your words protected whether published or unpublished.
The "Fair Use Exception" permits someone to copy without the copyright owner's permission for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, scholarship or research. In determining whether the use is a fair use the law requires consideration of the following factors: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. (17 U.S.C.sec.107)
The determination of fair use is made on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that the law applies even to material distributed free to the students. It holds the course instructor responsible if the copying is done at his or her request, even if it is an outside copy center that reproduces and distributes the work. UW-River Falls' policy is that teaching staff are expected to secure permission from the copyright owners unless the intended use clearly is permissible under the "fair use" exception.
Permissible Copying
The American Library Association has developed model guidelines for classroom, research and library use of copyrighted materials. They provide a realistic approach to the University's need to disseminate meaningful and current information in its instructional program. These ALA guidelines are available in the Publications Office; they also contain a sample letter for requesting permission to copy and a summary of infringement remedies available to the copyright owner.
No automatic formula determines a fair use. However, you should be in compliance with the law if: 1. the materials are not used repeatedly; that is, you have not used them in preceding classes and you do not intend to use them in subsequent classes; 2. no more than one copy is made for each student; 3. the notice of copyright is included on each copy distributed; 4. the students are not assessed a fee beyond the actual cost of reproduction; and 5. in the case of longer materials and books, the portion copied is selective and sparing in comparison to the whole of the work.
The right to make multiple copies is weakened if there is any reason to believe that the copying will directly affect the potential market for the work or if it was done without permission when the decision to copy was made with sufficient lead time to request permission. This does not mean, however, that an instructor has free license to copy what he/she wishes if the decision is made the week before classes start.
More detailed information about copyright law and the use of copyrighted materials in the classroom is available in the Publications Office, Room 121, North Hall.
PUBLICATIONS AND PRINTING Home Page
Page author: Tony Bredahl
Last Modified:
Monday, Nov 06, 2006, 05: 01 PM