Copyright and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)

Understanding Copyright

In order to obey the laws, it‘s important to understand what is protected by copyright. In order for an author to have a copyright, their work must be original, creative and be attached to a physical location, including, but not limited to, paper, computers, flash drives, etc.

Digital Copyright Laws

In 1998 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed by Congress. The DMCA makes it illegal to copy or share copyrighted data, everything from music to computer games, if you do not obtain permission from the copyright holder. You can be prosecuted if you illegally share data.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act

To help protect students from abusing copyright law and illegally sharing data, Congress has passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

For More Information

For information on the Mills College copyright policy, visit this web page via the link provided below:

Mills College Copyright Policy

For information on the HEOA, visit the EDUCAUSE Library

Further Reading on Copyright

• United States Copyright Office:
  • “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries” (US Constitution, Article I, Section 8)
• The Cornell University Copyright Information Center:
  • “This site offers information on copyright policy, copyright clearance services, and copyright training and tutorials.”
• WATCH (Writers, Artists and Their Copyright Holders):
  • “WATCH is a database of copyright contacts for writers, artists, and prominent people in other creative fields. It is a joint project of the Harry Ransom Center and University of Reading Library in England. Founded in 1994 as a resource principally for copyright questions about literary manuscripts held in the U.S. and the U.K., it has now grown into one of the largest databases of copyright holders in the world.”