How can a request which has been submitted be modified or cancelled?
What is Copyright?
Copyright is an intellectual property right that provides its owner with the exclusive
right to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display an original work of authorship, and
to prepare derivative works based on the original work. Copyright protection begins from
the moment that an "original work of authorship is fixed in any tangible medium of
expression" and, in the U.S., generally lasts until seventy years after its creator
dies.
Copyrightable works are broken up into the following categories by the U.S. Copyright
Office:
literary works
musical works, including any accompanying words
dramatic works, including any accompanying music
pantomimes and choreographic works
pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
motion pictures and other audiovisual works
sound recordings
architectural works
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What is fair use?
"Fair use" is a concept in copyright law that allows the reproduction of a
small amount of copyrighted work without the owner’s permission. Since this
term’s meaning can be obscure and penalties for infringement can be severe, we
suggest you contact us for determination.
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What is public domain?
The term "public domain" means that a work has no copyright protection, and
thus no permission is necessary to reproduce it. See examples below.
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What is NOT protected by copyright or does not require permission?
Works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression
Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations
of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring; mere listings of ingredients or
contents
Ideas, facts, formulae, processes, procedures, or concepts.
Material that is in the "public domain" is not protected by copyright. This
includes material from the U.S. Government, and material from a work whose term of
copyright has expired, or whose copyright owners have intentionally released the materials
into the public domain.
Most publishers agree that less than 300 words from a book-length work (excluding books
with very little text like children’s books) or less than 150 words from a magazine
or journal article used in context is "fair use" and permission is not
required.
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When would the "Instructional request form" be used?
This form may be used if the request is for the use of our material in student course
packets, copying an out of print work in its entirety, reproducing material onto
transparencies for personal use, distributing our material as a handout, reproducing
material onto an instructional website, and for reproduction of our material in any other
way that is not intended for publication.
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When would the "standard request form" be used?
This form can be used for requests to dramatize a work, publish selections in a
magazine or book, publish a musical setting, broadcast onto television or radio, reproduce
onto the world wide web, and for a variety of other uses
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How is permission obtained to use material acknowledged to another source?
Many times, material in our publications is acknowledged to a third
party. This means that we obtained permission from a third party to include their
material in our work. If your request is for the use of this material, then you will need
to apply directly to the acknowledged source(s).
These sources are often at the following locations:
If the permissioned material is a figure, table or illustration, the
source will usually be listed at the figure description and/or in the acknowledgement
section at the back of the book.
If the material in question is a selection (poem, chapter, essay,
etc.), the acknowledged source will be listed either at the beginning or end of the
selection and/or on the copyright page or in the acknowledgements section.
Keep in mind, the acknowledgements section will usually give a more detailed
description of the original source, even if the source is also cited where the
permissioned material appears.
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Is permission required for the mere adaptation of material?
Permission should be obtained from the copyright owner to modify the underlying work.
Samples of the adaptation should accompany the request for permission.
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Must permission also be obtained from the author(s) of the material?
In most cases, permission is not needed from the author(s); however, many of our
journals do require that the requestor obtain the author’s permission as a condition
of our grant. Our permission license will so state if the author’s permission needs
to be obtained.
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What will the fee be?
In most cases, a fee will be assessed. This fee is determined by a number of variables,
including the amount of material requested, the total number of copies of your work that
will be produced, the market of distribution and the term of the license. Because a fee
cannot be determined until all of the requested information on the request form is
received, we are unable to discuss any fee assessments prior to processing your written
request.
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Who is responsible for any fees assessed?
The responsibility for paying any fee is left up to the determination of the requestor
and/or publisher. Usually, if a work is intended for publication, permissions issues are
reviewed in the contractual agreements between the author/editor and the publisher.
Any fees assessed for instructional handouts are due within 30 days of the date on the
agreement. Any other request fees are due within 120 days of the date on the agreement.
The address to which payment must be sent is included on the agreement you will receive
when permission is granted.
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To what institution are wire transfers made?
Bank of America
231 S. LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60697
Account NAME: Harcourt Brace
Account Number: 8188801211
ABA Routing Number: 071000039
SWIFT CODE: BOFAUS44
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Can the payment be made by credit card?
We accept payment by Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover and Diner’s
Club.
In order to make the payment by credit card, a copy of the agreement will need to be
returned with the appropriate credit card information completed.
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What does "term" mean?
One of the things we ask for in our standard request form is that you provide the
estimated term (from 1 to 13 years) of license you desire. The term begins at the
scheduled publication date of your work. The license is current until the term of license
expires or the estimated number of copies is produced, whichever comes first. In this case,
term refers to the period of time in which you would like to continue printing and publishing
the book, not how long the book will be available for sale on the shelf.
In the event that you would like to extend the term or produce more copies of your work
which contains our material, it will be necessary to reapply for permission.
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How long will it take to obtain permission?
Because of the high volume of requests received on a daily basis, permissions are
granted on a "first come, first served" basis and are usually processed within
ten business days of their receipt. If you request that your permission be rushed, we will
respond to your request within one to two business days of their receipt for an additional
rush fee. "Rush" processing of requests for material from journals will be an
additional $25, and material from books will be an additional $50, added to the regular
permission fee.
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Can licenses be sent by e-mail?
At this time, we are not sending licenses by e-mail.
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How can a request which has been submitted be modified or cancelled?
Once a request has been submitted and you would like to make a modification, cancel, or simply
inquire about your request, you may send an email to permissions@harcourt.com. Please include
your confirmation number which appears on the confirmation page you received upon submittal of
your request. Please also include the original Requestor's name and the title of our work.
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Related links
Association of American Publishers, Inc.
Copyright Clearance Center
United States Copyright Office, Library of
Congress
World Intellectual Property
Organization
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