NWE Policy of Intellectual Property

Previously, our policies stated that copyrighted materials could be used on NWE servers only if the use was appropriate under the criterion of academic fair use -- an exception to the US Copyright Code which allows the limited use of copyrighted material for, among other things, educational purposes. This requirement has not been changed.

Our policies also recommended that all use of copyrighted material "should strive to follow standard academic conventions for citation". This is no longer a recommendation, but a requirement. Please refer to our updated policies page to read the specific language of the requirement:

http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/writing/help/intro/account/policies.html

We have prepared several pages which give examples of citation practices which we consider acceptable and reasonable. Please model the practices you recommend to your students after these examples, or create your own examples based on the citation practices you prefer (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc).

http://web.nwe.ufl.edu/writing/help/web/authoring/citations/

The University's Office of General Counsel recommends this resource as an introduction for students: http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/cprtindx.htm

Should you receive a complaint accusing you or your students of violating intellectual property rights, you must contact the NWE help staff <help@nwe.ufl.edu> before replying to the individual or organization sending you the complaint. We expect all communication regarding the dispute to follow the highest standards of professionalism, and we will not tolerate rudeness or incivility.

We support the doctrine of academic fair use and will defend fair use of copyrighted materials. Please follow this new policy and ask your students to do the same. If you have any questions, please contact the NWE help staff.