Copyright and Intellectual Property Toolkit

This guide is a toolkit for answering questions about copyright and intellectual property. 

If you have a question about using a particular item in your work, please click on the "Can I Use It?" tabs which contain information about fair use, public domain, and licenses.

For information on Pepperdine University's policies on copyright ownership for its employees, please see the guidance put forth by the office of the Provost.

The information and resources found in this page are not meant to offer legal advice but rather to guide and inform as you investigate copyright and other intellectual property concerns. Only a lawyer knowledgeable about copyright and intellectual property issues can provide you with legal advice.

Libraries often deal with copyright and other intellectual property issues, whether on behalf of their communities (faculty, students, staff, other patrons) or in their day-to-day operations.

If you have questions about copyright in any of the following areas or activities, we can help. 

• Using the works of others (such as articles, reports, or books) for a paper or a research project
• Photocopying articles or book chapters
• Using materials on course reserves
• Listening to, playing, or downloading music
• Using the contents found in databases (which are licensed for use by the Pepperdine community)
• Showing films or performing music
• Reusing images found in library collections, whether in print or online
• Borrowing materials from other libraries

See also the FAQs regarding Using Copyright in the Classroom and Using Online Material.

This guide was originally created by John Barnett, revised and updated by Lauren B. Collister and Jonah McAllister-Erickson, University of Pittsburgh. Some parts of this guide were borrowed from Christopher Lemery's Patent Guide. Additional revisions by Kristin Peace, Pepperdine University.

This guide and its content are licensed under a Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 license. You are free to reuse and adapt the content of this guide as long as you give credit to the original creators.