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Copyright & Fair Use

While the Industry Documents Library is a public archive of documents and audiovisual materials, companies or individuals hold the rights to the information they created, meaning material cannot be “substantially” reproduced in books or other media without the copyright holder’s permission.

The use of copyrighted material, including reproduction, is governed by United States copyright law (Title 17, United States Code). The law may permit the “fair use” of a copyrighted work, including the making of a photocopy, “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research.” 17 U.S.C. ยง 107.

The Industry Documents Library makes its collections available under court-approved agreements with the rightsholders or under the fair use doctrine, depending on the collection.

According to the US Copyright Office, when determining whether a particular use comes under “fair use” you must consider the following:

Each user of this website is responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable copyright laws. Persons obtaining, or later using, a copy of copyrighted material in excess of “fair use” may become liable for copyright infringement. By accessing this website, the user agrees to hold harmless the University of California, its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees and agents from all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of the use of this website by the user.

For more in-depth information on copyright and fair use, visit the Stanford University Libraries’ Copyright and Fair Use website.

If you hold copyright to a document or documents in our collections and have concerns about our inclusion of this material, please see the IDL Take-Down Policy or contact us with any questions.