Carnegie Mellon University

Copyright Permissions

Tartan Ink provides administrative support to comply with copyright law by ordering copyright permissions. Copyright permission should be obtained for materials used in the classroom from course packets to articles posted on Canvas. Unless marked free to use, copyright permission must be obtained to distribute in a course.

If your course packet contains any material from sources such as journals, books, magazines, newspapers, or the Internet, copyright permission is required. Even though it is for educational use, and may only be one page, it does not automatically fall under fair use.

For more information on fair use, please consult the CMU Fair Use Policy.

Tartan Ink partners with the Hunt Library and the Tepper School of Business to provide copyright permissions at a low cost to Carnegie Mellon University.

Hunt Library subscribes to many journals and databases. These subscriptions include permission for digital distribution. Our library contact provides links at no cost that route through the subscriptions. An Andrew ID is required to use the links. If the material is printed and distributed, the links no longer provide permission.

Tartan Ink and Tepper School of Business negotiate a yearly license with the Harvard School of Business. Tartan Ink can then provide links for Harvard cases and articles at a rate less than the education rate on the Harvard Business School website.

The permissions process may take as long as eight weeks.

We will let you know if any of the permissions are unusually expensive or delayed. We are committed to keeping the cost of your course material as low as possible.

Please follow the deadlines provided to ensure you receive approval for materials before the start of your course.

The copyright permission is valid for one semester for one course.

Tartan Ink is here for all your printing and copying needs, including course packet printing. We offer printing and copyright permission services to instructors who use course packets in their classrooms.

To ensure printed course materials are available when needed, please submit pdfs or hard copies along with the appropriate forms by the deadlines listed below.

All course packs submitted after those dates may not be available for the start of the semester.

Copyright Permission Process

  1. Complete the Copyright Request Form [xls] for each class and with information for each book, journal, etc. Missing information will increase the time needed to complete requests. 
  2. Email the completed document to Tartan Ink Tepper Copy Center.
  3. Tartan Ink will obtain copyright clearance and reply with any links and the price per student per item. Course materials can changed before printing or the start of the course, whichever comes first.
  4. Once all items are approved, you have the option to print the course packets with Tartan Ink. Pdfs are required for printing, but hard copies are also accepted.
  5. If creating a course packet, a proof is created for approval. The proof MUST be approved before printing additional copies.
  6. The course packets can distributed according to department policy. If students are required to pay for course packets, the course packets can be sold at the Bookstore. Currently, we are unable to sell completed course packets at our locations.
  7. Charges for copyright permissions will be billed to the charge string provided after the first Add/Drop period ends.

The copyright permission is valid for one semester for one course.

Deadlines

Below are the deadlines to submit copyright requests for each mini. We attempt to accommodate late requests, but approval may not be given for the start of the mini. 

Mini Copyright Deadline Start Date
Mini 1 Fall 2023 Monday, July 31, 2023 Monday, August 28, 2023
Mini 2 Fall 2023

Monday, September 25, 2023

Monday, October 23, 2023
Mini 3 Spring 2024 Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Mini 4 Spring 2024 Monday, February 12, 2024 Monday, March 11, 2024
Mini 5 Summer 2024 Monday, April 15, 2024 Monday, May 13, 2024
Mini 6 Summer 2024 Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Monday, June 24, 2024

For more information on copyrights, please contact Tartan Ink Tepper Copy Center.