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Digital Collections at the UC San Diego Library: Copyright/Takedown Policy

A guide to digital collections at the UC San Diego Library.

Fair Use

Are items in the Digital Collections fair use? May I use them in a publication or on a website?

Items in the Digital Collections are available from the UC San Diego Library and are intended to support research, teaching and private study under fair use. All items may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Usage of some items may also be subject to additional restrictions imposed by the original copyright owner and/or institution. The copyright for a particular item is displayed under “Copyright”. To request permission to publish or obtain a reproduction of a particular item, please use the Contact link found under Help at the top of the Digital Collections website.

If you are the copyright holder and believe our website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without the requisite permission, please let us know. Refer to the Notice and Takedown Policy below for details.

The U.S. Copyright Office provides additional information on understanding copyright, including “Copyright Basics” at www.copyright.gov.

Notice and Takedown Policy

Notice to users: The UC San Diego Library makes effort to ensure that it has appropriate rights to provide access to content through the Digital Collections Website. These materials are made available for educational and scholarly use.

If you are a rights holder and are concerned that you have found material on the UC San Diego Library’s Digital Collections Website without your permission and believe our inclusion of this material on the Digital Collections Website violates your rights (e.g. inclusion is not covered by the Fair Use or other exemption to a copyright holder’s rights), please contact [dlp@ucsd.edu] and include the following:

  • Your contact information (including email address and phone),
  • Exact URL where you found the material,
  • Details that describe the material (title, collection name, number of items, etc.),
  • The reason why you believe that your rights have been violated, with any pertinent documentation,
  • A statement that you in good faith believe that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and
  • A statement that the information in your notification is accurate and that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner.

Upon receipt of a request, UC San Diego Library staff will:

  • Promptly acknowledge the request via email or other means of communication if you do not have an email account;
  • Assess the validity of the request;
  • Upon request, we may temporarily remove the material from public view while we assess the concern.

Upon completion of the assessment, we will take appropriate action and communicate that action to you.

Digital Collections Website

Screenshot of Digital Collections Homepage