Making Copyright Law Work for You

A Word from the Director

This issue of The Research Exchange highlights information about copyright regulations and practices. Due to the changing landscape in the area of copyright, it is wise for all NIDRR grantees to refresh their understanding concerning copyright regulations on a periodic basis.

Fairly recent additions to copyright law attempt to address concerns that arise from new technologies and media now widely in use, such as the Internet. While the use of these new technologies and media can vastly expand the scope of dissemination outreach, disseminators need to know the protections that are and are not afforded via current copyright law provisions. A variety of online information resources about copyright are presented for researchers' use.

In preparation for this issue, the NCDDR staff contacted NIDRR grantees to ask what questions they currently had concerning copyright practices and provisions. These questions were put to a copyright legal expert for her response. The questions and answers address important areas of concern to NIDRR researchers producing original works.

Due to the importance and changing nature of this topic, the NCDDR is developing a component of its Web site that will house the most current information available on copyright provisions. The intent is for this Web component to serve as a handy reference tool for NIDRR grantees and a centralized location from which a variety of other copyright resources can be accessed. NCDDR staff welcome your comments in this and other areas.

John D. Westbrook, Ph.D.
Director, NCDDR

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