What is a copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States and other countries to authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other creative works.This protection allows the creator exclusive rights to these works, and to determine who has the “right to copy” these works.
How can I find out who owns a copyright?
Some investigative work will be required. If the copyright owner is not listed outright on the work you wish to copy, you may need to directly contact the publisher of the work where you viewed the image to see if they know who the copyright owner would be. For web pages, you may need to contact the webmaster of the site or the company that produced it. For books it is recommended to contact the publisher.YearbookLife cannot provide copyright advice for you. It is your responsibility to do the necessary due diligence and provide us with this information.
In most cases it is easy to obtain permission from companies for logos and images by simply contacting them. Most professional clip art packages allow reproduction rights for the files you purchase. Other sources such as Getty Images (www.gettyimages.com), Landov (www.landov.com) or other image providers have special rates for schools purchasing photos for reproduction in yearbooks. You may also search for “Public Domain” images, which have limited or no rights restrictions.
You should begin the search immediately if you know you have possible copyrighted images. Any delay after submission of your yearbook to obtain permission will delay the delivery of your books!
What do I need to provide to be able to use a copyrighted work?
YearbookLife may require a satisfactory letter of verification from the copyright owner which grants you permission to use their work in your yearbook. In the case of purchased clip art or images, simply include a copy of your License Agreement, which should specify your rights to reproduce the images in your yearbook.Your yearbook may be placed “on hold” until all copyright issues have been cleared.
Can I quote poems or music lyrics?
Poems and lyrics may also be protected by copyright.It is advisable to get the rights from the author or publisher before using them.