Permissions
Do you need permission?
Many uses of Carnegie Mellon copyrighted materials require written permission, but in some cases written permission is not required (e.g., if permission is already granted in the front matter of the document, if you are using the work for government purposes, or if your use is in accordance with the "Fair Use" doctrine).
See the following general guidelines for more information, and be sure to check the guidelines for text and images below to determine whether you need written permission for your intended use of specific Carnegie Mellon copyrighted materials.
General Guidelines
If you wish to use Carnegie Mellon University trademarks or service marks, the SEI name, or any logo associated with the SEI in connection with any of your organization's goods or services, you must obtain written permission from the SEI. To request permission, submit your request via this permission form or send the following information by FAX to 412-268-5758:
- List your complete contact information including mailing address, phone, FAX, and URL.
- What copyrighted material would you like
to use?
Identify the material and the specific portion you want to use as thoroughly as possible (by full title, date, report number, module number, caption, author, URL, etc.). - How do you plan to use the copyrighted material?
Do you plan to refer to it? Reproduce it "as is" in part or in its entirety? Create a hypertext link to it? Translate it "as is" into another language? Something else? Please describe your intended use in detail. - In what format (delivery medium) do you intend to use the copyrighted material?
Do you intend to use it in publications, software tools, CD-ROM products, instructional materials, marketing literature, or merchandise (e.g., T-shirts, badges, pens)? If you intend to use the material in any kind of publication (e.g., book, article, technical report, press release, Web page, presentation, briefing) please provide the working title, expected publication date, and publisher or publication name, if any. - Are you using the copyrighted material for (a) commercial, (b) noncommercial, or (c) U.S. government purposes? (U.S. government purposes may include competitive procurement.)
- Do you intend to distribute the copyrighted material (a) inside your organization (internal use) or (b) outside your organization (external use)?
To expedite a response, please include all the above information in your request for permission.
Front Matter
Some of the institute's Carnegie Mellon copyrighted materials automatically grant permission for internal use (use within your organization) and/or external use (use outside your organization). Look directly below the Carnegie Mellon copyright notice in the front matter of the document for such permission. If permission for your intended use is already granted in the document, you do not need to seek additional permission, but you must (a) include the original copyright notice attributing copyright ownership to Carnegie Mellon University and (b) refer correctly to any Carnegie Mellon University trademarks and service marks that appear in the text.
Government Purposes
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics [OUSD (AT&L)]. The Government of the United States has a royalty-free government-purpose license to use, duplicate, or disclose Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute authored works, in whole or in part and in any manner, and to have or permit others to do so, for government purposes pursuant to the copyright license under the clause at 252.227.7013 of Federal Government Contract Number F19628-00-C-0003. (Government purposes include competitive procurement but do not include the right to have or to permit others to have for commercial purposes.)
Although no additional permission is required, reproductions and derivative works for government purposes must (a) include the original copyright notice attributing copyright ownership to Carnegie Mellon University and (b) refer correctly to any Carnegie Mellon University trademarks and service marks that appear in the text.
Fair Use
Under United States law (see the Library of Congress Web site for the text of title 17 of the United States Code, §107), it is permissible to copy something so long as the copying falls within what is called "fair use." Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. However, there is no clear-cut way to determine what is or is not fair use. There are no legal rules that limit fair use to a specific percentage of a copyrighted work or a specific number of words or musical notes. Factors to consider in determining whether a particular use constitutes fair use include the following:
- the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit purposes
- the nature of the copyrighted work
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
- the effect of the use on the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work
These factors are not weighed equally; the fourth factor often takes precedence in copyright disputes.
Text Guidelines
SEI Publications
SEI technical documents and publications (e.g., technical reports, technical notes, news@sei, The Member Bulletin, The SEI Annual Report, The SEI Technical Program of Work) are copyrighted materials. Written permission to use the materials may not be required if permission is granted in the front matter or if use falls within the limits of the fair use statute (see "Fair Use" above). If you wish to reprint articles from these SEI publications for use in another publication, please submit your request via this permission form or by FAX at 412-268-5758.
Web Content
You should not assume that all items found on the SEI Web site (articles, white papers, reports, manuals, announcements, terms, documents, images, photos, etc.) are copyrighted by Carnegie Mellon University. Determine the identity of the copyright owner before requesting permission from the SEI. If other parties are identified as copyright owners, contact them directly for permission to use their copyrighted materials. If the copyright is attributed to the SEI (or if there is no attribution) and permission to use materials is not granted in these guidelines, please contact the SEI for permission as described in General Guidelines.
Linking to SEI Web Pages
Because we update many of our Web documents regularly, we would prefer that you link to our Web pages whenever possible rather than reproduce them. It is not necessary to request permission to make referential hypertext links to SEI Web pages.
Image Guidelines
To use Carnegie Mellon SEI graphics (logos, diagrams, charts, etc.), please contact the SEI for permission as described in General Guidelines.