Landman Library - Arcadia University

Disclaimer

Information on this website should not be construed as legal advice. Neither its creator nor Arcadia University are liable for any legal action that may result from its use.

Tools

Fair Use Analysis Tool

Analysis of Fair Use is actually a balancing act. The Fair Use Analysis Tool helps to make this fact clear (from the Copyright Information and Education pages on University of Minnesota Libraries’ website). It doesn’t assign weighting automatically—you have to do that yourself—but it still helps you to conduct a useful analysis.

Public Domain Slider

This digital version of an analog tool can help you understand if a work has entered the public domain (in the U.S.) because its copyright protection has expired. If it has, you don’t need to seek copyright permissions and can use it freely. This slider comes from the Copyright Advisory Network of the American Library Association.

Public Domain Chart

For internationally copyrighted works, use this chart from Cornell University’s Copyright Information Center. It also covers works copyrighted in the U.S. as well as sound recordings and architectural works.

Copyright Renewals

Works whose copyrights have not been renewed could now be in the public domain, but how do you know if they’ve been renewed? Take a look at this webpage to help figure that out. It’s from the Online Books Page of the University of Pennsylvania.