Copyright at UVa for Students

UVa Policy and the DMCA

If you are interested in the topic of the Digtial Millenium Copyright Act, look here for sources for broader research.

UVa Policy on Copyright

Simply stated, the University's policy is to respect copyright laws. The people who create and own digital materials are afforded certain copyright protections by federal law. If you compromise those protections by using copyrighted materials in an unlawful way, you are also violating UVa policy.

  • View the copyright policy.
  • If you would like to find out more about copyright laws and issues in general—including U.S. and international law, fair use, public domain status, and so on—a good place to start is the University Library's website.

What is the DMCA?

The DMCA is the Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998. This legislation was enacted by the U.S. Congress in order to meet the unique challenges to traditional copyright law that were posed by digital media. UVa's policies with regard to notification of digital copyright violators and sanctions on abuse are based on the provisions of the DMCA.

You can find the U.S. Copyright Office's summary of the DMCA at http://www.loc.gov/copyright/legislation/dmca.pdf.

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