UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Beginning Sept. 24, Penn State University Libraries will offer virtual workshops on scholarly communications and copyright topics for students, faculty and staff, and the public. The workshops will cover copyright issues related to theses and dissertations; U.S. copyright law, including the fair use doctrine and the permissions process; generative AI tools; sharing research software; and using video in courses.
All workshops will be held online via Zoom. Registration is free but required for all workshops. To register, follow the links listed with each session, or email copyright@psu.edu.
For more information about the workshop program, visit the Workshops page. If you have questions, contact us at copyright@psu.edu.
Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, please contact us at copyright@psu.edu in advance of your participation or visit.
Workshop schedule
'Copyright and Your Thesis or Dissertation' — Sept. 24, 2–3 p.m.
Register here
Do you have copyright questions related to your thesis or dissertation? How can you obtain permission to use someone else’s images or figures? When can you use those images or figures without permission? What permission is necessary for use of archival or museum materials? What’s the relationship between copyright and academic honesty? Join us for a workshop on these and other questions. This is an interactive workshop. After an overview, workshop participants will work in small groups to address hypothetical copyright questions and then debrief their responses as a full group. Danielle Steinhart, copyright specialist, will teach this workshop.
'Copyright in One Hour' — Oct. 1, 2–3 p.m.
Register here
This beginner-level workshop provides a brief introduction to U.S. copyright law, focusing on its impact on university research and teaching. You will learn what copyright covers and how copyrighted works enter the public domain. You’ll also learn about fair use and other rights that copyright gives to those using copyrighted material. This workshop serves as an introduction to the entire slate of scholarly communications and copyright workshops by the University Libraries. Danielle Steinhart will teach this workshop.
'Fair Use' — Oct. 8, 2–3 p.m.
Register here
Do you need copyright permission to use that image in your article or that diagram in your course? When does copyright law allow use of copyrighted material without permission? In this introductory workshop, you will learn about U.S. copyright law’s fair use doctrine. You will have a chance to apply what you’ve learned to hypothetical questions involving fair use in a university setting, including questions related to research and to teaching. Danielle Steinhart will teach this workshop.
Copyright and Generative AI
Oct. 15, 1–2 p.m. — Register here
Oct. 16, 1–2 p.m. — Register here
This workshop will provide an introduction to copyright issues related to generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Stable Diffusion. The law in this area is in flux, so we’ll study recent developments as well as relevant precedent on three questions: (1) Are works created with generative AI tools copyrightable? (2) Is it fair use to train a large language model on in-copyright material? (3) Is it considered fair use to use a generative AI tool to create a new work that is “substantially similar” to an in-copyright work? Ana Enriquez, copyright officer and head of the Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright, will teach this workshop.
Copyright and Licensing for Sharing Research Software — Oct. 23, 4–5 p.m.
Register here
Whether you write a few lines of code or create a whole new application, sharing research software can enhance the impact and reproducibility of your research. Using an open-source license on that software is often beneficial and sometimes necessary. Don’t let your questions about copyright and licensing hold back your research. This workshop will provide an overview of copyright law and Penn State policy related to software licensing. Ana Enriquez will teach this workshop. This is an update of a previous workshop, “Sharing Research Software with Open-Source Licenses.”
Using Video in Courses — Nov. 12, 10–11 a.m.
Register here
Have you ever run into course-related video copyright or licensing questions? Which of the Libraries’ licensed video resources can be used in courses, in person, on Canvas or on Zoom? What about films on consumer-oriented platforms like Netflix or YouTube? How can you enable students to watch a film that is available only on DVD? This interactive workshop will address these and other questions. Participants will work in small groups to address hypothetical copyright questions, then debrief their responses as a full group. Tara Murray Grove, librarian for Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures, and Ana Enriquez will teach this workshop.
Advanced Copyright: Managing Copyright and Permission — Nov. 19, 3–4:30 p.m.
Register here
In this advanced workshop, we will explore copyright enforcement and the copyright permissions process under U.S. law. Universities and members of university communities are users as well as creators of copyrighted materials; this workshop will consider both perspectives throughout. Topics will include copyright registration and notice, how to (try to) make someone stop using your work, the Copyright Claims Board, and copyright infringement lawsuits. This workshop is designed for those who have significant previous training and experience with copyright. Ana Enriquez and Danielle Steinhart will teach this workshop.