Here are various resources to help members of the Harvard community understand and comply with copyright law.

Copyright and Fair Use: A Guide for the Harvard Community

A discussion of the law and its application to different situations.  For a list of the questions addressed, click here.  You can obtain a copy of this Guide in PDF format here.  To print a part of the Guide, you may use the PDF version.

Some other Frequently Asked Questions

For a list of other frequently asked questions concerning copyright and privacy, click here.

U.S. Constitution and Copyright Law

• Copyright Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8:

  “The Congress shall have the power . . . To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.”

• Copyright Act, Title 17 of the U. S. Code

A Selection of Other Useful Websites on Copyright and Fair Use

• U.S. Copyright Office

  Note, among other things, the U.S. Copyright Office circulars, including Circular 21, Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians.

• Columbia Copyright Advisory Office

  Note, among other things, the materials on fair use and the accompanying Fair Use Checklist.

• University of Texas/Copyright Crash Course

• Stanford University Libraries/Copyright and Fair Use

Other Materials

Form of User Notice for Course Websites