Frequently Asked Questions

Question:  Why is the University suddenly concerned with copyright?

Answer:  The University has always been concerned with copyright.  Faculty and staff have long been told they must follow applicable copyright law and seek copyright clearance.  In the past, this has meant faculty and staff needed to seek copyright clearance on their own or use one of the on-line fee-based copyright services, such as the Copyright Clearance Center.  The University realized not centralizing copyright clearance was inefficient, and put undue hardship on faculty and staff.  (Many people complained about the difficulty in seeking copyright clearance.)  In response, the University undertook a re-evaluation of the copyright process and instituted a University-wide copyright clearance procedure centered in the Copy Center. 

Question:  I get articles and other materials copied at an off-campus site and no one there ever questions how I'm using these materials and no one ever asks me for copyright.  Why do I have to do this at our Hamline copy center?    

Answer:  Hamline University requires all employees follow applicable copyright laws as a condition of employment.  Copyright laws apply to both on-campus and off-campus copy jobs.  If you take a copyrighted job off-campus, you are still expected to seek copyright clearance. 

Question:  What is a “copyright holder”? 

Answer:  The copyright holder is the person who retains the copyright.  Typically the copyright holder is the publisher, but it may also be the author (or the author’s family).   In some cases, the publisher may “own” the copyright for a set number of years, after which the copyright reverts to the author.  In other cases, the author may assign the copyright to an agent or bequeath the copyright to a charitable organization.

Question:   How do I find out who is the copyright holder? 

Answer:  The United States Copyright Office maintains information on copyright holders. To request information regarding copyright holder, send in a request form (available on their web site) along with a small fee, and they send you information regarding the copyright holder. 

The good news is that if you use the Copy Center’s copyright service, you don’t have to worry about who holds the copyright.   Resolving who the copyright holder is is part of the Copy Center’s copyright service.