Q1. What’s copyright?

• Copyright is the right of the author who creates works of authorship such as books and papers.　The Copyright Law is to protect this right from unjust invasion by the outsider.
• To make copies of works without permission of their author is essentially illegal under the Copyright Law that provides that only its author has the right to copy the work of authorship (Article 21).
• There are various cases about kinds of copyright and their protection term (varies with the laws of each country).
  Main examples of the protection term are written below.
  Protection begins from the time the author has created the work of authority.

1. The term for the work with author’s own name (including the known pseudonym) is 50 years after the author’s death.
2. The term for the work with a pseudonym or no name is 50 years after the publication (50 years after the death, if 50 years have clearly passed after the death of the author).
3. The term for the work with the name of a body corporate is 50 years after the publication (50 years after the creation, if not made public for 50 years).
4. The term for the cinematographic work is 70 years after the publication (70 years after the creation, if not made public for 70).

※The terms above are calculated from the beginning of the year following the date when such event as death occurred.
※ If there is no heir after the death of the author, his/her copyright is to expire.

　Q2. Are works of authorities not allowed to copy?

• The Copyright Law stipulates some exceptional cases in which copyright is limited (Article 30 -49).　Reproduction with copy machines in the Library is included in these exceptional cases, so you could copy with these machines without authorization.
• However, you could not copy with these machines as your pleases.　You must follow a certain strict conditions even in such cases.
  

　Q3. What can I copy with the copy machines in the Library?

• The following are summary of conditions necessary for reproduction in the Library (Article 31 of the Copyright Law).

1. Only the Library materials are permitted.
   　Only books and periodicals of OUC Library are permitted to copy with the copy machines in the Library.　You should not copy materials not of the Library such as personal books, periodicals, class notebooks, resume of seminar etc.
2. Only a part of the work.
   　You could not copy the whole book.　Though the range of “a part” is not stipulated in the Copyright Law, generally it is read as “about half of” the work.　So you could copy up to 50 pages of a book of 100 pages.
3. Each article on a journal or a newspaper is permitted to copy the whole.　But it should have been published for a certain term.
   　Each article on the latest issue of a journal or a newspaper is not permitted to copy the whole.　“A certain term” is read as “after the next issue is published” or “3 months and over after publication”.
4. 1 copy for 1 user.
   　You could make only 1 copy for 1 material.　You should not copy more than 1 and distribute or sell others.
5. Only for examination and research.
   　You should not copy for the purpose other than personal examination and research.
6. No re-copy.
   　You should not re-copy the material copied in the Library.

　Q4. Too much restrictions, aren’t they?

• Though users might feel inconvenient about many restrictions on reproduction of materials in the Library, they are necessary to protect moral and economic rights of the author, who provides the essential information for education, examination and research.　We truly appreciate for your kind cooperation.

　Q5. Why do I have to write a photocopy request form?

• Reproduction with the copy machines in the Library should be within the range provided by the Article 31 of the Copyright Law.　We had left the judgment to users and had not made positive investigation into the actual condition in the past.　But in consequence of the meeting between delegates of libraries of the whole country and copyright management associations, it was decided that more strict management would be required from now on.
  Therefore it is necessary to make sure that the reproduction in the Library is within the prescribed range by checking the request forms submitted by users.
• We are very much sorry to trouble users to write the form whenever using the copy machine, but this is necessary for confirmation of no invasion of copyright in the Library.　We sincerely appreciate for your understanding and kind cooperation.

　Q6. I would like to know further about the copyright.

• There are various websites providing valuable information about the copyright on the Internet, such as:
  • Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACR JP)
  • Copyright Research and Information Center (CRIC JP)