Copyright / Trademark

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, "Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works."

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside adheres to copyright and trademark laws. The university will not knowingly reproduce copyrighted/trademarked materials in any medium.

Accordingly, projects brought to Creative Services must follow copyright law. Images, audio, video, copy, etc. (including those taken from the Internet) must have written permission from the copyright/trademark holder or have proof of licensing. Clients requesting services must identify that they have read this statement and check the statement that they are providing materials that follow the law. Representatives for Creative Services reserve the right to reject projects based on questionable copyright and may request proof of adherence to the law for their files.

Exceptions exist for academic fair use, which is very limited in scope and not applicable to most marketing or promotional projects.

The courts have awarded penalties for infringement up to $100,000 not including legal fees for each instance.

For more information regarding copyright, getting permissions, etc. visit:

• UW-Parkside Library Copyright Information
• UW-Parkside copyright policy
• U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code
• The Copyright Crash Course © 2001 Georgia K. Harper
• The University of Maine at Farmington
• Learn more about copyright law at Nolo.com