DPPS - Copyright Clearance

By combining a variety of published works with an instructor’s own pages, custom course packets have become valuable tools in the college classroom. However, copyright laws have made the use of course packs somewhat daunting. While there is often confusion surrounding the implications of copyright laws on educational uses (see Copyright Guidelines), course packets generally require copyright clearance on some, if not all, of the materials included.

Copyright charectorThe DP&PS Customer Service Department provides copyright clearance assistance in the creation of custom course packs. Though we use the nation’s premier copyright clearance service, Copyright Clearance Center, which eases the process in working with many publishers, you can still expect and plan for a four to six week waiting period. The final price of the course packets will include the fees paid to publishers for copyright clearance.


Do copyright permissions still need to be requested even if the material is being used in conjunction with the university?


YES.  Even though it is in an academic setting, permission to use copyrighted material must still be obtained.  This material could be text or image from a book, journal, website, etc.  If you are printing your course pack or other educational material through DP&PS, we acquire copyright permissions on your behalf at no extra charge.  The final price of a course pack (or other copyrighted material) will include the fees paid to publishers for copyright clearance.


Please expect and plan for the copyright process to take four to six weeks.  Though we use the nation's premier copyright clearance service, Copyright Clearance Center, which eases the process in working with many publishers, not all permissions are requestable through this site.  If this is the case, we need to use other means of contacting publishers and this communication can sometimes take a few weeks.


If you have a printing project that requires copyright clearance or you are unsure whether or not you need permissions, please call or email DPPS to set up a consultation.