Protocols and Permissions

The Fair Use guidelines for copyright law are broad in scope and variously interpreted in the online context, making it extremely difficult to form consistent policy. Thus, in order to be as transparent as possible, Indigeneous Knowledge Commons web postings adhere to the following policies, which are strictly enforced:

Intellectual Property Rights: This site serves as “commons” in the sense that the materials posted on it have usually already been released to the public domain. No materials regarded by their knowledge holders as sacred or inappropriate in a public context will be posted here. Nor will the posting of materials that may have made their way into the public domain in a problematic or questionable manner be permitted. The IKC will always err on the side of caution in these matters; however, if a mistake is made, we urge knowledge holders or copyright holders to contact us immediately. Questions in this regard should be directed to IKC Collective, (See “Contact Us”) which will ensure that they are properly addressed. Also, please consult the principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP).

Academic Publishing Issues: Indigenous Knowledge Commons is a strong advocate for the right of scholars to quote from the materials they analyze, as protected by the principle of “fair use.“ If such quotation is necessary to a scholar’s argument, if the quotation serves to support a scholar’s original analysis or pedagogical purpose, and if the quotation does not harm the market value of the original text — but rather, and on the contrary, enhances it — we must defend the scholar’s right to quote from the texts and media under study.

Fair Use Issues: with regard to copyrighted material, IKC abides by ‘fair use’ principles as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.  In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to students and educators strictly for research and educational purposes.  However, if any material is brought to our attention which is not in accord with the Fair Use provisions and thus, legally not available for such educational usage, then the text or image will be immediately removed from the website.

If you believe that you are the copyright holder of any image or text which is not properly acknowledged or for which necessary permission has not been obtained, or which is tribally restricted or inappropriate, please contact wchambers@iaia.edu.