Editorial Style Guide
Styleguide Contents
Copyright
A copyright is the legal right of authors, photographers, etc., to control the use of their own creative works. Since 1989, published material—printed matter or web-based, including photographs—is considered copyrighted whether it has a copyright notice or not.
All U-M faculty, students, and staff are obliged to follow the laws and traditions of copyright and proper attribution. That responsibility has become more difficult with the proliferation of digital media, especially on the Internet. The ability to download or print a work that exists on the Internet does NOT grant the user permission to duplicate or distribute the work. When posting material on the Internet, the user is required to provide copyright information just as if the material were in a printed piece.
When in doubt, ask permission and give credit where credit is due.
(The U.S. Copyright Office provides information about copyright basics. Good sources of information about fair use and the public domain include the Creative Commons site and Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain.)
Intellectual Property and Copyrights
All material fixed in a tangible medium (photos, electronic and printed text, music, broadcast performance) produced by units of U-M, is inherently copyrighted under the Berne Accords, which are part of U.S. law. The regents are the legal owners of all university products. To discourage copyright infringement, state the year of production and the name of the copyright holder.
The suggested format is to use the word “Copyright” or copyright symbol ®) followed by the year and “The Regents of the University of Michigan,” For example: Copyright 2007 The Regents of the University of Michigan.
University-produced written, visual, and musical products (except for “Copyrighted Photos” below), with or without the regent’s copyright statement, may be freely reproduced by any unit of the university for its own use. Written, visual, and sound products that contain a copyright statement from some unit of the university other than the regents might not be protectable by that unit, but you should request permission before copying or reproducing.
Copyrighted Photos
All photos are copyrighted whether they carry a copyright notice or not. Some photographers relinquish all rights to their photos; others provide limited one-time use. If you reproduce a photo that has been borrowed from another university publisher or publication, be sure that the photo has been released by the copyright holder for your use and that the necessary fees have been paid. This caution includes photos reproduced for computer transmission, e.g., in websites and electronically reproduced documents.
Consent to Photograph or Record Electronically
When recording a photographic image, audio, or video of people for U-M marketing materials, you should always use a consent form. The consent form protects both the subject and the university by spelling out the terms under which the image/recording is being taken. Signing the release ensures that the “model” understands there is no monetary or other compensation coming from the university, and also that the model can expect the university to use the media only in an appropriate manner.
While you are free to use your own consent form, the U-M Consent Form (68KB PDF file) has been approved by the Office of the General Counsel and is highly recommended. PLEASE NOTE: minors must have a parent or guardian sign the release.