OER and Textbook Alternatives: Copyright and Creative Commons

Original works, whether or not published, that exist in a tangible medium that can be touched, seen, heard, read and fall into one of the following categories are protected by copyright.

Copyright applies to a wide variety of works including, but not limited to:

1. Literary works
2. Musical works, lyrics, and sound recordings
3. Dramatic works
4. Pantomimes and choreographic works
5. Visual works (photographs, paintings, sculptures, maps, logos, etc.)
6. Multimedia works, movies, and other audio-visual works
7. Software code
8. Architectural works, etc.

These works are protected from the moment they are in a fixed format regardless of whether they contain a copyright notice or copyright has been registered.

Items not protected include, but are not limited to:

1. Titles, names, slogans
2. Ideas, procedures, methods, principles, concepts, systems
3. Works lacking originality (calendars, tape measures, rulers, etc.)
4. Works created by employees of the U.S. Government in the course of their employment
5. Works comprised entirely of public domain information

Creative Commons is the most, if not the only, copyright license used for open educational resources. It allows the user to share their work while still protecting their rights as a creator, but also allowing their work to be used and shared primarily without compensation. Use the image searcher below to find images using Creative Commons licensing.