eReserve Copyright Guidance

The Copyright Law of the Peoples’ Republic of China (2010 revised version) mainly governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that “a small amount of photocopying or reproduction” is permitted to be “used for teaching and learning or research”, not to be “used for publishing or profit.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. 

What is a “fair use” of copyrighted materials?

In general, in determining fair use there are four factors:

  • Purpose: the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit education purposes
  • Nature: the nature of the copyrighted work
  • Amount: the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  • Effect: the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted wor

How do I avoid violating the Copyright Act?

  • Authorized users may view, download and print copies from Sakai or Course Reserves. Note that documents are formatted in Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files. If you access documents from your personal computer, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program to view and print the documents.
  • You are allowed to make one copy of each document for uses such as education, personal reading, private study, research and scholarship. Note that you have until the conclusion of the course to view and print documents. Staff remove all materials from Course Reserve at the end of the academic semester.
  • Read the copyright warning, which appears on the first page of each Course Reserve document: “NOTICE: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code). Title 17 U.S. Code governs the making of photocopies of copyrighted materials. The person using this system is liable for any infringement.”