Dos & Don'ts of Copyright & Trademark Compliance

Last Updated: 07/06/2022 16:35

The following is a concise reference for copyright and trademark compliance best practices. It is not intended to constitute or substitute for detailed information or legal advice. If you have any questions or concerns about any use of copyrighted work or trademarks, please submit a request here and we will be happy to provide detailed information. If you require legal advice, please contact the Office of General Counsel.

Do	Don't
Link to third party web sites/pages that contain copyrighted works	Link to content you know or should have reason to know is unlicensed or pirated (e.g., a feature length Hollywood movie in YouTube)
Use public domain works made prior to 1928, freely	Copy entire documents, images, or video (always assume a work is copyrighted)
Use your or UNT's own creative works, since we are the copyright owners!	Use another's unpublished work without their express, written permission
Request graphic design services from CLEAR	Modify a copyrighted image & use the new version (it will be an unauthorized "derivative work")
Use these select web sites to find images for your course	Use Google, Bing, or Yahoo to find images for use in your course
Use works licensed under Creative Commons terms	Omit an attribution for any work licensed under Creative Commons terms which requires it
Use a screenshot of a software interface	Use a pirated or unlicensed copy of software -or- screenshot of a web page
Reformat (change the font face, color scheme, and order/arrangement) and republish freely available third-party data	Make an exact copy of a table or graph (the design/layout is copyrighted)
Quote/excerpt small portions of a work (5% or less is the target, but under 10% may be passable)	Copy 10% or more of a work -or- Omit citations
Use a still frame image from a video when linking to a web site hosting the video	Use a still frame image from a video for any purpose not directly pedagogical
Use a work you co-authored, unless a work made-for-hire	Use a work made-for-hire created at a previous employer, without written permission
Use government works, as they are considered in the public domain	Use the name, likeness, photograph, signature, or audio of a famous person
Use trademarks to identify a company or individual	Use trademarks in any other manner, especially advertising
Insert YouTube, Vimeo, & TED videos in course pages (TED talks require a Creative Commons attribution caption)	Embed social media content from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, unless there is a direct pedagogical need & purpose