All items submitted to DPLA must include a standardized rights statement. These statements provide clear information to users about copyright status and permissions to re-use digital resources. For more information visit rightsstatements.org.
DPLA Rights Portal, https://rights-portal.dp.la/provides resources and tools for Rights Statements and Creative Commons focused on American cultural heritage organizations.
Determining Rights Statements
Documentation adapted from/courtesy of VCU Libraries
1. Determine copyright status
If the copyright status of the collection or item has not yet been determined:
- Determine copyright status of the collection or item using the Hirtle/Cornell chart on copyright/public domain status.
- Determine any uncertainty in the copyright status (date of publication, identify of author or copyright owner, whether or not your organization owns the rights, etc.), and consider the risk that the institution is willing to take if a copyright holder disputes our decision.
2. Determine RightsStatement
For collections with items of mixed copyright statuses, make sure to provide rights statements for each item appropriately. Our colleagues at PA Digital created a helpful flowchart:
More in-depth descriptions of RightsStatements:
- In Copyright
- In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted
- In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted
- In Copyright – Rights-holder(s) Unlocatable or Un-identifiable
- In Copyright – EU Orphan Work
- No Copyright – Contractual Restrictions
- No Copyright – Non-commercial Use Only
- No Copyright – Other Known Legal Restrictions
- No Copyright – United States
- Copyright Undetermined
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- No Known Copyright