Use and Access Restrictions / Copyright

Everything on NPS Focus is NOT in the public domain! If you wish to download and re-use a resource found for a print or electronic publication, please follow these guidelines. Responsibility is with the end user Public Domain Access and Use Restrictions It is a common but MISTAKEN belief that all information resources produced by the federal government are in the public domain since they were funded by taxpayer dollars. This is indeed true of most resources created by National Park Service staff during work hours. However the NPS contracts out much of its work such as hiring private photographers to take pictures or university professors to write technical reports. Plus the NPS receives many resources, especially museum resources, as gifts or loans. In many cases, the contractor or donor retains specific rights to their resources. It is incumbent upon the NPS and the general public to honor their intellectual property rights. Responsibility is with the end user The National Park Service will make every effort to provide complete and accurate information regarding intellectual property rights associated with any particular resource. However, ultimately it is the responsibility of the end user who plans to re-use a resource to ensure they are complying with all federal, state, local, and international laws. This includes the correct application of the Fair Use Clause of the U.S. Copyright Law that permits limited use of copyrighted material for personal or educational purposes. Public Domain See graphics below on how to determine if a resource is in the Public Domain. If the digital resource is in the Public Domain AND has NO other restrictions specified in the record, then the general public may freely use and re-use the image/digital resource on print or electonic publications. Identify the origin of the image with a caption like "Image courtesy of the National Park Service." Access and Use Restrictions If there ARE restrictions associated with the use of the resource, they must be adhered to on a case by case basis as specified in the record. Rights can vary between vendor contracts or gift resources. So do not assume that what is appropriate and legal for one resource, is also true for others. CHECK THE RECORD!! To determine the access status and restrictions for a resource. 1. Look Below the image - NPS Focus now encodes the Access/Restrictions info into every image. Look below the image at the label "Restrictions:" as shown in the highlighted section of the graphic below. If this field has anything other than the words "Public domain," search the Title or Filename in NPS Focus to obtain more detailed Access/Restrictions information. NOTE: Older images do not have Title and Restrictions information. Please refer back to the record. 2. The "Restrictions" and "Restrictions Info" fields on the record provide detailed information on your right to use a digital resource. These fields have been highlighted in the graphic below.