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Copyright Information: Seeking Permission

Information and resources about copyright and fair use for the William Paterson University community.

Seeking Copyright Permission

After reviewing William Paterson University's fair use guidelines, you may determine that you need to seek permission to use materials.  In this case, depending upon the type of material, you have options for contacting the rightsholder.

For a journal article or book chapter, check with the Copyright Clearance Center:  http://www.copyright.com   In many cases, a quote for using the work will be generated instantaneously.

For sound recordings, contact the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers: http://www.ascap.com/ACE.html or the Recording Industry Association of America: http://www.riaa.com/ or Music Publishers Association http://www.mpa.org/content/copyright-resource-center 

Feel free to contact the Library for assistance, please call 973-720-2116 or email refdesk@wpunj.edu to discuss with a Reference librarian.

For more information about seeking permission, we recommend the University of Texas's Getting Permission website: http://copyright.lib.utexas.edu/permissn.html

Public Performance Rights

Students and University organizations often wish to show films in classrooms or auditoriums for their clubs, events, or just for fun.  You may only show a video or DVD in public (not a classroom situation) once you have obtained public perfomance rights.  This is true even when you do not charge an admission fee!  If you want to show a copyrighted film in a public setting, you will need to contact one of the companies listed below to obtain permission. 

Some films owned by the Library were purchased with public performance rights.  You can find out if the Library has performance rights to the film you want to show by contacting the Media Services department for assistance: 973-720-2308.

 

Sample Letters and Forms