About These Tools...

• BLC Author Addendum -- Free legal tool for authors. Helps author modify a publisher's agreement and retain key rights to one's articles. See Secure & Retain Your Rights for details.
• Copyright Decision Map -- Flowchart shows steps for deciding whether a work may be reproduced.
• Copyright Renewal Database (Stanford) -- "An online database that enables people to search copyright-renewal records [not original copyright registrations] for books published in the United States between 1923 and 1963." Includes [some] scores. Also known as the "Copyright Determinator." See also Stanford Report, April 2, 2007, press release.
• Creative Commons -- "Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators. . . . [They build] upon the 'all rights reserved' concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach." Tools were created by a non-profit organization and free.
• Fair Use Analysis Tool (U. Minnesota) -- This form help you examine the four factors surrounding the circumstances of your proposed "fair use." See also Understanding Fair Use.
• Know Your Copy Rights -- Sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries. This is a "Web site for librarians who are developing positive educational programs for academic users of copyrighted materials in U.S. not-for-profit institutions."
• Public Domain Chart -- Helps you determine if an item is in the public domain (and thus copied without permission). Identifies copyright term dates and current copyright status of various types of items.
• Author Copyright Management and information about retaining your rights when Publishing and/or Distributing Your Work.
• SHERPA: Publishers' Policies -- Summarizes publisher copyright policies, including permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement.
• SPARC Author Addendum -- Free legal tool for authors. Helps author modify a publisher's agreement and retain key rights to one's articles. Developed by SPARC in partnership with the non-profit organizations, Creative Commons and Science Commons.