Copyright Or Don't Copy At All

Is it my imagination, or has copyright restrictions gotten stricter?

At my local community college, while browsing around the Gothic Literature books, I discovered information that gave me a shock!


Technically, I was not allowed to make photocopies of the material from the Gothic Literature books.

Paraphrasing from a similar copyright section, found in the beginning of a book

...No part of this publication may be reproduced, saved in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or through any means, whether electronic, mechanical, or by photocopying, audio recording or scanning, except as permitted under sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act...


This is shocking! Am I allowed to quote from the Gothic Literature books, a multi-volume set found in the Reference section of the library, at the community college?

Uninformed students (or older book-readers) may believe they have the natural rights, when gathering information, to photocopy book pages if photocopying will help them organize their notes for research or "academic" papers.

These consideration being put temporarily aside, I hope to answer my questions in this blog.

* Are the copyright restrictions more ri-strictive now, and if so, are there reasonable reasons for greater restrictions?

* What does Section 107 and Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act say?

* Are greater copyright restrictions a response to changing technology and Internet piracy?


Is the underlying message (sent by book and film makers and publishers) : Don't copy at all.


Authors note:
This Blog Article can be read at blogger.com under 'The Vamp Challenge'.
Feel free to respond (comment in the comment section).
Do not copy this article, unless you properly attribute your sources.
Individual research can be attributed to oneself.