Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020 (CASE Act)
Historically, copyright infringement cases have not been commonplace, as they are expensive and must be filed in federal court. However, the CASE Act requires the Copyright Office to establish the Copyright Claims Board by December 2021 – and after it has been created, it will make it easier for copyright infringement claims to proceed outside federal court; the Copyright Office will be able to consider infringement matters for claims that do not exceed $30K. It is anticipated that this will lead to more copyright infringement claims being brought. It will be important to be particularly careful going forward with respect to using copyrighted materials and making sure proper attribution/credit is given.
An important part of remaining compliant with copyright laws is properly attributing works when they are used in any capacity. From citing works used in a research paper, to properly attributing images used on a website, understanding when it is necessary to give credit and how to do so is a crucial step in the exchange of ideas and information, along with preserving academic integrity.
There are organizations that have been established to give creators and users more information and avenues to follow as they work within the confines of copyright law. The aim is finding a balance between free exchange of ideas and information and proper attribution to the originator.
Review the "U.S. Copyright Law" tab for more information about copyright law and how it is applied to works, even if the information/creation is not registered.
The KCTCS Libraries and Copyright tab provides more information about how libraries educate students and faculty on how to cite works within the various professional citation styles.
This section intends to highlight some topics within the realm of copyright licensing.
Creative Commons (CC) is a licensing body that allows creators some flexibility to creators who have works under copyright. It provides some transparency on how works may be used in various circumstances. Review the links below to learn more about Creative Commons, the types of licenses and how to attribute works properly within this construct.
