UMAC: Trademark Licensing

Copyrights At a Glance

The copyrights at a glance section is intended to assist university colleges, departments, administrative units, and programs understand what a copyright is and how to properly protect it.

What is a copyright?

A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work. The primary objective of copyright law is to give artists, authors, educators, musicians, and other creative people the right to control the distribution of their creative works. Exemplary creative works include literary works, motion pictures, photographs, musical compositions, sound recordings, paintings, sculptures, drawings, radio and television broadcasts, and computer software.

How are copyrights established?

Sometimes, it may be advisable to register a creative work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration gives the owner certain legal presumptions and rights in the registered jurisdiction (e.g., a federal registration gives the owner the right to sue others for copyright infringement in the United States under the Copyright Act and other federal laws). Most creative works are not registered.

What is a copyright registration?

A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work. The primary objective of copyright law is to give artists, authors, educators, musicians, and other creative people the right to control the distribution of their creative works. Exemplary creative works include literary works, motion pictures, photographs, musical compositions, sound recordings, paintings, sculptures, drawings, radio and television broadcasts, and computer software.

How is a copyright notice displayed?

A copyright notice should be included with the publication of a creative work. A copyright notice consists of the copyright symbol © or the word “copyright,” the year of first publication of the creative work, and the name of the copyright owner (e.g., © 2021 Utah State University). Remember that print materials AND digital publications (e.g., websites, YouTube videos, etc.) should include a copyright notice.

When the creative work relates to my work at Utah State University, who owns the copyright?

Creative works developed in the scope of an employment relationship are usually owned by the employer. The University waives its right to own the copyrights to scholarly works (e.g., journal articles, theses, dissertations, etc. See USU Policy 587: Intellectual Property). Otherwise, the University is generally the owner of copyrights associated with an employee’s work product.