Copyright and Fair Use

Policy Number: 8.2.53
Effective Date: February 25, 2026
Revision History: October 11, 2023; May 26, 2016
Policy Contact: Vice President for Information Technology and Institutional Research

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

This policy establishes standards for copyright and fair use as they relate to information technology resources at Georgia Gwinnett College ("GGC"). The College follows all applicable laws as well as University System of Georgia ("USG") policies and standards for copyright and fair use.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all GGC faculty, staff, students, and guests.

III. Defintions

Copyright: A legal right granted to the creator of an original work, giving them exclusive rights to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, perform, or display their work. Copyright protection applies automatically when a work is captured in a way that others can see, hear, or experience it again.

Fair Use: A legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the rights holder for purposes such as teaching, scholarship, research, criticism, commentary, and news reporting. Fair use is determined by four factors:

The purpose and character of the use (e.g., educational vs. commercial)

The nature of the copyrighted work

The amount and substantiality of the portion used

The effect of the use on the potential market for or value of the original work

Information Technology Resource: Any hardware, software, service, system, or database used in support of College activities. This includes systems and applications hosted on premises or in the cloud and applications developed internally.

Copyright Violation Notice: A notification from the USG or other entity that indicates an information technology resource or user account provided by the College may be associated with a copyright violation.

IV. Roles and Responsibilities

All employees, students, and guests are responsible for complying with the University System of Georgia Copyright Policy and APM 11.50.1.1 Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources policy.
IT is responsible for determining the information technology resources as well as accounts and users associated with copyright violation notices.
IT is responsible for notifying and providing information to appropriate personnel and offices:

IT will notify the Dean of Students Office when copyright violation notices involve students.
IT will notify Human Resources when copyright violation notices involve employees.
IT will notify the group or individual hosting a guest, if applicable, when copyright violation notices involve guests.

Upon notification of a copyright violation, students, employees, and guests must remove content related to the copyright violation from information technology resources.
The Dean of Students Office will thoroughly review all reported incidents of copyright violations by students and adjudicate alleged violations in accordance with procedures outlined in the student code of conduct.
Human Resources, in consultation with the immediate supervisor, area Vice President, and Vice President for Information Technology and Institutional Research, conducts investigations and determines appropriate disciplinary actions, if needed, for copyright violation notices associated with employees.
If content is not removed in a timely manner, the Vice President for Information Technology and Institutional Research or designee may suspend student, employee, or guest access to information technology resources and accounts and/or remove content associated with the copyright violation notice.

IV. Related Regulations, Statutes, Policies, and Procedures

University System of Georgia Copyright Policy
APM 11.50.1.1 Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources
Fair Use (FAQ) | U.S. Copyright Office