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Copyright Frequently Asked Questions

The aim of the intellectual property policies of 4C is twofold:

1. To encourage the wide spread dissemination of 4C material.
2. To preserve the integrity of 4C material by eliminating confusion about its source.

This document answers several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about 4C material.

1. Who holds the copyright on 4C documents?
2. May I link to the 4C site?
3. What about the trademarks/icons and how to I properly attribute them?
4. I am a teacher, may I print out specifications and other documents for my class to read?
5. I have a Web site that mirrors (has copies of) useful Web documents, can I make copies of your documents and serve them from my site?

Who holds the copyright on 4C documents?
The original author of the document. Many documents are created by 4C and we consequently hold the copyright. Owners who allow their works to be published on the 4C site retain the copyright, but agree to the 4C license for the redistribution of those materials from our site.

May I link to the 4C site?
Of course. Links are merely references to other sites. You don't have to ask permission to link to this site—or any other website. See (Visit the official World Wide Web Consortium website for "link myths") on this.

However, you should never do anything (including making a link) that misrepresents what is being linked to, or implies a relationship with 4C that does not exist. For instance, you may not use misleading frames, URL tricks, or redirections that misrepresent 4C content as being published by anyone other than 4C. Note, this requirement to be clear in your representations is your obligation, 4C does not sign waivers about who may link to us.

I am a teacher, may I print out specifications and other documents for my class to read?
Yes, 4C documents can be redistributed or republished on the condition that you provide information so that others can easily find the original document and that you provide notice of 4C's copyright. Therefore you can print out specifications and other documents. Fortunately most programs include the source URL when printing a document. You should also inform your audience of the document's copyright notice.

I have a Web site that mirrors (has copies of) useful Web documents, can I make copies of your documents and serve them from my site?
Yes, provided that you clearly represent the status of the document and that the canonical version of the document can only be found on the 4C site. You should feel free to reference this FAQ or our other legal notices to make this representation clear.

Other questions about 4C policies should be directed to agency@4cforchildren.org .