Open Access: Awareness

Public Domain Slider: a tool to help determine the copyright status of a work.

License Chooser: follow the steps to select the appropriate  Creative Commons license for your work.

OER Adoption Impact Calculator: Users can adjust inputs using a sliding scale to calculate the impact for their unique institutional setting.

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When a work is created, it is automatically protected by the copyright. The copyright symbol, or copyright sign, ©, is the symbol used in copyright notices for works other than sound recordings (℗). Copyright is a form of legal protection that affords the copyright owner the exclusive rights to reproduce (copy), distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, create "derivative works" (e.g., translations, revisions, other modifications). Copyright licenses are a way of giving permission to someone to use your work in a certain way.

(The Original content is from How to Use Open Educational Resources training by WA SBCTC . CC BY 4.0)

Public Domain

The term “public domain” refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it (from Copyright & Fair Use Stanford Libraries).

Open Educational Materials (OER)

Open Educational Materials (OER) have an "open" license. Open licenses are less restrictive than "all rights reserved" copyright, where a creator does not specify any type of license, but more restrictive than works in the public domain, where copyright has expired, or where a rights holder has waived all rights to their work. OER provide the public with permission to engage in 5R activities:

• Retain -- permission to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
• Reuse -- permission to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)
• Revise -- permission to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
• Remix -- permission to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
• Redistribute -- permission to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of to a friend)

Creative Commons (CC)

Creative Commons (CC) licenses are a subset of open licenses specifically designed for creative works like writing, art, music, and other media. They provide a standardized way to grant copyright permissions to the public.

• Licensing Mechanism: CC licenses provide a clear and standardized way to license educational resources, making it easier for educators and institutions to share and use materials openly.
• Range of Permissions: With various CC licenses, creators can control the level of openness, allowing for combinations of permissions and restrictions that suit their needs.

 Use the guidelines below to identify whether you need to seek permission from the copyright holder when re-use the work.

You DO NOT need to ask permission if:

• The resource is in the public domain. However, note that if resources do reside in the public domain, they may contain within them copyrighted works, so examine the resource and read the terms of use carefully.See more Copyright Term and the Public Domain by Cornell University.
• The work is available under an Open License. When using an open license work (mainly an Creative Commons (CC) License), be sure to provide proper attribution to the source and follow any restrictions that might apply (i.e. non-commercial, no derivatives). Visit "About Creative Commons (CC) Licenses" page for all six different license types from Creative Commons.
• Your intended use falls within a copyright exception or limitation (such as fair dealing). If a use is fair, the user need not notify or seek permission from the copyright holder. NIH's History of Medicine is a good example of Fair use. Here is more information on Fair Use.
• The way that you want to use the resource is in compliance with the terms of a copyright license that applies to you (i.e., you already have permission in this case). Some websites permit you to re-use their works as long as certain conditions are met (e.g. noncommercial use only). In these cases, you can find out whether re-use is permitted by looking at the website’s Terms & Conditions. Websites Free-images.com and Clipartspy are good examples of re-use permitted indicated on the website.

You DO need to ask permission if:

• You wish to use a resource that is protected by copyright, and your intended use would be infringing copyright law.
• You wish to use a resource in a way that is beyond the scope of the permission granted to users in an applicable copyright license.

You should consider asking for permission if:

• You are uncertain about whether your intended use is permitted by an applicable copyright license.
• You are uncertain about whether a work is protected by copyright.
• You are uncertain about whether your intended use falls within a copyright exception or limitation (such as fair dealing).

                                                                         (The text is a derivative of Permissions Guide for Educators, by ISKME licensed under CC BY, 4.0.)