Rights & Permissions

Special Collections adheres to the 1976 Copyright Act and follows standards of educational fair use established under Section 107 of H.R. 2223 by the Ad Hoc Committee on Copyright Law Revision, the Authors League of America and the Association of American Publishers, Inc.

• For works created after 1978: copyright extends from the creation of the work plus 75 years after the author's death.
• For works published prior 1978 with a copyright notice: the maximum duration of copyright protection is 75 years.
• Works published before 1978 without a copyright notice: works are assumed to be in the public domain.

The Department will reproduce a copyrighted item if the copy is used for private study, scholarship or research. Special Collections reserves the right to refuse or accept a copying order.

• Permission to publish in any format requires the completion of the Application to Publish Special Collections Material. If the department does not retain copyright, we cannot grant permission to publish unless permission has been approved by the copyright owner.
• Credit shall be given as: Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries.
• An additional fee is assessed for all commercial use of reproductions. The Libraries retain the right to judge what constitutes a scholarly or commercial publication. Please consult our Publication Fee Schedule for further details.

      
       - U.S. Copyright Office
       - Locating Copyright Holders
       - Music in the Public Domain