Copyright

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act allows Internet Service Providers such as the College to avoid liability for material posted on the ISP's site which infringes someone's copyright.

• WCC Policy designates the Executive Director of the Library as the agent to receive notice from copyright owners alleging infringement. The Executive Director, in consultation with counsel, will determine whether to take advantage of the DMCA's protective procedures and what steps will be taken to handle the complaint.
   
• The College must have no actual knowledge of the infringement or of circumstances that would make the infringement apparent, and must act expeditiously after notification of possible infringement to remove or disable access to the material. The College must not interfere with technical measures taken by owners of copyrights to protect their material.
   
• The College must follow technical requirements for the notification of infringement and specified actions must take in response, including immediately removing or disabling access to the material.
   
• The person who posted the material may dispute the copyright owner's allegation and have the material reposted following DMCA procedure.
   
• Copyright owners who falsely allege infringement face specified penalties.
   

Contact:
Sandra Coward
Assistant to the Executive Director of Library
sacoward@wcnet.edu
Phone: (734) 973-3379

WCC Copyright Use and Ownership Policy

This policy has been developed and distributed in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") and the Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization ("TEACH") Act. 

Washtenaw Community College is committed to complying with all applicable laws regarding copyright and patents. Compliance with federal copyright and patent law is expected of all students, faculty and staff. 

"Copyright" is legal protection for any creative work in a fixed medium. Copyright protects the original creative work of authors, composers, and creators of all types from reproduction, display, performance, dissemination, distribution, or creation of derivative works by others. In order to use a copyrighted work, faculty, staff, and students must either obtain permission or qualify for a legal exception to the requirement for permission. Because the College may be liable for the illegal acts of faculty and staff, and because the College provides services, including Internet and e-mail access to faculty, staff, and students, the College is required to provide notice, education, and take-down procedures and to terminate the access privileges of those who repeatedly infringe the copyrights of others. 

As an educational education involved in inquiry and dissemination of knowledge, the College supports (1) the responsible, good faith exercise of full fair use rights by faculty, librarians, and staff in furtherance of their teaching, research, and service activities; (2) copyright ownership for creative, non-directed works by faculty, staff, and students and College ownership of directed employment-related works; and (3) protection of ownership rights for creators of works that require a different ownership model. 

To the foregoing stated ends the College shall:

• Provide notice, education, and guidance to faculty, staff and students about the requirements of copyright law and the legal exceptions to the requirement for permission.
• Develop and make available resources concerning copyright laws in general and the applications of fair use in specific situations.
• Provide resources and develop strategies for obtaining permission when necessary.
• Provide resources and develop strategies to reduce the need for permission, where possible, through licensing agreements.
• Document the steps taken to accomplish these goals.
• The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 includes provisions designed to reduce file sharing and unauthorized distributions of copyrighted materials by those using campus networks. For information on the College's compliance to HEOA, download the following documents: