Copyright Notification

What is copyright?

Copyright is legal protection of intellectual property, in whatever medium, that is provided for by the laws of the United States to the owners of copyright. Types of works that are covered by copyright law include, but are not limited, to literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, film and multi-media works.

Many people understand that printed works such as books and magazine articles are covered by copyright laws but they are not aware that the protection extends into software, digital works, and unpublished works and it covers all forms of a work, including its digital transmission and use.

Specifically, web pages may be copyrighted by Roger Williams University, by a department or program within the University, or by an individual, depending on who owns the rights to the materials included in the Web pages. If you have questions about ownership or wish to make changes to the Copyright Information Page to suit particular circumstances regarding your Web pages, contact webmaster@rwu.edu.

Although technically no statement or registration is required, in order to let others know a work is copyrighted and to deter possible infringements, it is recommended that the following general copyright statement be applied to pages in the RWU Web space:

© Copyright 2XXX, Roger Williams University. All Rights Reserved.

Additionally, web developers may also wish to make their copyright statements link to the Copyright, Legal, and Privacy Statement, which provides more detailed explanations of what may and may not be done with Roger Williams University copyrighted materials and collection of information and further indemnifies them and the University from any legal action.

As your Web pages change over time, you should extend the copyright date to cover all relevant years, i.e., © Copyright 1996-2000, Roger Williams University.

Finally, all web and electronic publications must follow university and legal standards regarding copyright. Web publishers must secure permission from the owner of the copyright when including copyrighted or trademarked material such as text, photographs, audio, video, graphics, maps, or logos, and include a permission statement or disclaimer as required by the owner of the copyright or trademark. For more information on copyright, see the U.S. Copyright Office web site.