Plagiarism is an ethical concept, but copyright is a legal one. Copyright protects the legal rights of creators, who control the use and distribution of their work. Copyright law varies between countries, but we’ll look just at the United States here.
In the United States, copyright is automatic, effective as soon as an original work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression, and covers many different formats or works: an essay written by a student, a photograph posted online, or a video. The owner of the copyright is the creator of the work, unless the owner has transferred the copyright to someone else.
As college students, you can access many copyrighted works (e.g., magazine and journal articles, books, films) because the Library pays a license for you. Similarly, public libraries pay fees so that public library card-holders can access this information. At Southeastern, you will use the Library Catalog (Books & More) and Databases (Articles & Databases) to locate this licensed material.
If you want to use something that is copyrighted, you can ask for permission. You may also be asked to pay for a license to use something that is copyrighted. Columbia University Libraries provides an overview of this process, including sample letters.
Video Length: About 5 minutes (5:26)
Video Citation: "What is Copyright?" YouTube, uploaded by U.S. Copyright Office. 30 Oct. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukFl-siTFtg Accessed 3 Aug. 2021.
To learn about copyright, watch the video "What is Copyright?" from the U.S. Copyright Office. Facts, names, ideas, or other works that fall in the public domain or works created by government employees may not be copyrighted.
“Open Access” is a term used to describe when either the copyright expires from an older work and the work becomes part of the public domain, or when the copyright holder provides consent for others to use their works freely. Generally, Open Access licenses include provisions for the use of the work (e.g. how it can be used, how credit should be provided).
Why does this matter? Open Access resources are ones you can use without violating someone’s copyright – but keep in mind that you still need to cite them.
Some examples of Open Access sources include:
Many Flickr images are available through a Creative Commons license. 
Many YouTube videos are available through a Creative Commons license. 
