Background
All works produced by students in SDC courses or school-related activities, notably in design studios, capstones, and technology classes, are legally the property of the students who created or authored the work and are thus copyrighted. If the SDC wishes to use copy, image, digitize, publish, present, incorporate into compilations, and distribute any student works, students must grant WSU permission. The permission is granted or denied via completion of the “Undergraduate/Graduate Student License to Grant Washington State University Use of Copyrighted Work” form for either one class or any and all classes. The following document outlines the best practices for distributing and managing the “Undergraduate/Graduate Student License to Grant Washington State University Use of Copyrighted Work” for one class and any and all classes (adopted by SDC faculty in January 2016).
Best Practice
Ideally, all SDC students will complete the above referenced copyright license(s) as soon as possible following certification. This provides optimal latitude for the SDC to use student work if need be. Such early completion also empowers and engages students, as they learn immediately of the potential value of their work.
As such, it is suggested that faculty members delivering second-year courses introduce and explain the ramifications of the copyright licenses during the first week of the each semester, as well as issue the documents for students’ signatures. Once students complete the documents, faculty should collect, alphabetize, scan, and submit them as a single file to the SDC digital archive (SharePoint, O-drive, or otherwise). The files should be named as such: Course_Year_Instructor.
In addition, faculty delivering courses to all certified students in the SDC should include an “SDC Copyright Statement” into their syllabi reminding students of the license document that they signed (or will sign). The syllabus statement will also convey to students that they have the right to revoke the license by written notice to the SDC and/or WSU. All faculty are encouraged to verbalize the statement during the first week of classes. It is also recommended that the SDC Director issue a reminder to all faculty about this prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Should disputes arise regarding copyright licenses, mediation will be initially handled by the SDC Leadership Team. Should further reconciliation be necessary, all parties will be directed to consult with the WSU Office of the Attorney General (AGO).
Copyright Syllabus Statement
- For first classes as a certified student. All works produced by students in SDC courses or school related activities, notably in design studios, capstones, and technology-related classes, are legally the property of the students who created or authored the work and are thus copyrighted by the student. Neither the SDC nor WSU can legally use either physical or digital work (with fair use exceptions) without a student’s express permission through an executed copyright license agreement.
In this class, students will be offered the option of granting a copyright license, which would allow the SDC/WSU to use your work in limited and specific ways. The copyright license document lists these. Students also have the option of declining to grant a copyright license. There are no negative consequences if a student chooses this option. Agreeing to grant a copyright license is always available at a later date.
- For all other classes. All works produced by students in SDC courses or school related activities, notably in design studios, capstones, and technology-related classes, are legally the property of the students who created or authored the work and are thus copyrighted by the student. Neither the SDC nor WSU can legally use either physical or digital work (with fair use exceptions) without a student’s express permission through the grant of a copyright license. Students were offered the option to grant or deny a copyright license for the use of their work in the first class taken as a certified student.
If a student has granted the copyright license to SDC/WSU, the student has a right to revoke the license at any time. Should the student revoke this license, this means the student’s work could no longer be used by the SDC/WSU (with exceptions for “fair use”). A student can do this by providing timely and written notice of the license revocation to the designated SDC representative. There are no negative consequences if a student chooses this option.
A student may also grant the SDC/WSU a copyright license at any time.