Forest Academic Copyright License FAQ

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1. What is the Annual Academic Copyright License?

The Annual Copyright License is an annual license that allows the reuse of text-based copyrighted content (such as books and journal articles) for participating publishers within a higher education institution. The Center distributes license fees among participating rightsholders. This process eliminates the need to obtain individual permissions from each copyright owner for content usage of covered works.

Educational uses include:

Coursepacks—paper and electronic
Library reserves—traditional and e-reserves
Class handouts
Electronic course content/Scholar 360

Research uses (within the institution) include:

Faculty-to-faculty sharing
Student-to-student sharing

2. What are the benefits of the Annual Copyright License?

Comprehensive, institution-wide coverage
Ease and convenience of a single, multi-use license
A predictable budgeting process for copyright fees
An efficient process which translates into administrative cost savings for the institution
Increased copyright compliance across the institution

3. How do I verify that a publication is covered by my Annual Copyright License?

Go to copyright.com’s Annual License-Academic page
Search by publication title or standard number (ISBN for books or ISSN for journals).
On the search results page, identify the correct publication title.
Review the Permission Type (click to see MORE), Availability (tells you if this title is covered by our license) and Rightsholder Terms (restrictions placed on the title by the publisher).

4. I'm looking for a publication but I can't find it.

Be sure you are searching by publication title, not article title. For example, search for "Journal of Marital and Family Therapy" if you need to reuse an article within the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
Check the spelling of your search term(s). View search tips for ways to optimize your search.
If the title is "not covered" by the Academic License or if you cannot find the title in the catalog at all, please consult with Nan Hadley, Library Services Manager.

5. Does the Annual Copyright License cover the copyright fee charged to my institution for documents received from document delivery vendors or through interlibrary loan?

No, it does not. While the license does not cover the original copying act by the document delivery vendor or interlibrary loan transaction, the license does cover your subsequent copying and distribution, internal to your institution, once you have obtained the lawful (copyright-cleared) original.

6. Can I scan articles and chapters under the Annual Copyright License?

You may convert portions of registered titles from paper to digital format when the desired work is not available in electronic form.

7. Does the license permit my institution to make all uses that we may want of the text works in the repertory?

No. There are instances of use that are not covered by the license:
- Interlibrary loan (ILL)
- Advertising or marketing
- Creation of a database or a repository of works if it replaces the need for a subscription or is available for multiple people's use outside the context of a class
- Cover-to-cover copying of whole works
- Any use of the work that results in manipulation or change of the original, or that does not result in a reproduction that is substantially identical visually to the original.

8. Does the Annual Copyright License take into account my institution's fair use policies?

Yes. The Annual Copyright License does not license any uses by your institution that constitute fair use under the Copyright Act—a license is not required for those uses because they are permitted by law (under the fair use provisions of Section 107).

Adapted from the Copyright Clearance Center's Academic License FAQ.