We take the bibliographic data that you provide and use it to contact individual publishers. Once a publisher grants copyright permission on a work, a copy of the permission contract is kept on file. Because this process can be both demanding and complicated, it is our pleasure to relieve you of the responsibility to attain copyright permission for your custom course materials.

It is best to assume that any material created by an individual or organization is copyrighted. There are certain documents that are in the Public Domain, such as material published before 1923 (and used in the form of that original document) and government publications. Let us investigate any material for you and examine the status of copyright and/or the need for permission.

While the amount varies by publisher, most allow 10-15% of a book to be reproduced in a course reader. For every hundred pages, you can use 10-15. If you are requesting an article from a journal, newspaper or magazine, expect clearance for 100% of the text only. In most cases, photographs require separate copyright permission.

It depends. Many publishers have a very quick turn-around time and grant permission for some requests instantly. However, it is best to allow at least two weeks, and often up to four weeks, to obtain copyright permission. We begin processing your copyright permission immediately after you submit your order.

In most cases, no. "Fair Use" of copyrighted materials rarely applies. Copyright law does allow for Spontaneous Use. Spontaneity means that the use of the item is so close in time that it would be unreasonable to expect a timely reply to request permission. As you can imagine, this doesn't apply to many situations as class materials are usually planned out weeks in advance. If you plan to reuse the item in future semesters you must request copyright permission.

In general, yes. And while it might seem that because the material is available for free to your students (because they can view the website), actually reproducing the material on paper or posting it on Blackboard, Web CT or other course management systems or websites means that copyright permission must be sought. Using pictures and images from a service like Google Images does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights or the content you access. You may not use content from any services unless you obtain permission from its owner or are otherwise permitted by law. You are not granted the right to use any branding or logos used on these services.

Each publisher sets a different price for their materials. In many cases, we negotiate lower prices, gratis permissions, and blanket contracts for your material. In addition, we can provide a copyright quote for your course reader, as well as a quote for the total cost, including production expenses.