Copyright Information

KCTCS Copyright Policy

KCTCS Administrative Policies and Procedures

3.3.5.5    Copyright

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) requires that all college personnel and students adhere to the provisions of the United Sates Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code).  This law applies to anyone at KCTCS who wants to reproduce, alter, or perform works that are protected by copyright.  Examples of these works include printed materials, sound recordings, video recordings, visual art, computer software and multimedia.

Date of Last Revision 10-28-08

What is Copyright?

Copyright is the protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the author or owner of "original works of authorship", giving the owner the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• To reproduce the copyrighted work
• To prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work
• To distribute copies of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending
• To perform the copyrighted work publicly

What can be copyrighted?

• Literary works
• Musical works
• Dramatic works
• Pantomimes and choreographic works
• Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
• Motion pictures and other audiovisual works
• Sound recordings
• Architectural Works 

What can not be copyrighted?

• Facts
• Ideas
• Government publications

When is a work not protected by copyright?

• A work is protected immediately when it is created in a fixed form.