The staff at Media Services must comply with the guidelines outlined in the copyright laws for both academic institutions and individuals. Duplication policies are restated here for your convenience.

Requesting Video Copies

• We can copy videotapes that do not have a copyright symbol on the cassette, the label, the box or in the credits.
• We can dub any copyright protected videotape that is accompanied by written permission from the copyright holder(s).
• It is illegal for us to dub any tape that has any indication of a copyright symbol.
• It is illegal for us to dub only a part of a copyright protected production, or to edit or manipulate it.
• It is illegal for us to dub any film, video, TV show, or off-air or off-satellite recording whether recorded at home, purchased, rented, or held in the library collection without written permission.

  Standards Around the World
  There are three primary electronic methods of creating video signals; these methods are referred to as video standards. The standards are known as NTSC (USA origin), PAL (German origin), and SECAM (French origin). While the videotape format, for example, VHS, is identical, the different standards create incompatible signals which cannot be played on any other system using another standard.

  This means that if you take your VHS camcorder from here (NTSC) to Brazil (PAL) and attempt to view your footage with a VHS VCR you rented in your hotel, the tape will fit into and run in the VCR properly, but the video will not be viewable. If you buy a French film on a VHS videocassette in Paris (SECAM) and bring it home to show to your class here at Colby (NTSC), again, the French program will not be viewable. One alternative is to find a multi-standard machine for playback, there are several of these units on campus. Another is to make a copy of the tape in the correct standard for use at Colby.

  Dubbing from one International Standard to Another
  All the copyright rules for NTSC-to-NTSC apply to requests for standards conversions except:

• We can legally dub one copy of a purchased video for academic purposes. For example, you can buy a film here, have us dub it into the Russian standard, and send it off to our St. Petersburg academic program. Or, as in the example cited above of the French film, we can copy it into NTSC so that you can use it in class.

  Video Duplication Services Policies:
  A minimum of one week is required for all duplication requests. Advance notice for this service is appreciated.

  For Faculty and Staff:
  

• We can make no more than 3 dubs of a given tape for academic purposes. Personal requests are limited to 1 copy.
• Any special preparation must be done by the requestor. For example, if you want a tape to start at a certain point, it must be in that position when we receive the tape. Be sure to communicate this kind of detail to the person taking the request. Also we do not watch the dubs, so cannot stop a dub at a certain point.
• Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to bring in blank tapes, but may provide departmental account numbers for academic duplication requests.
• All personal requests must supply blank videotapes. Dubbing will not occur until a blank tape is received.
• We spot-check every dub, but are note responsible for quality. Bad originals result in worse dubs. Good originals copied onto cheap tape result in bad dubs.
• Personal requests will have lower priority and will be processed only after academic needs are met.
• We can supply information on local or out-of-state companies to meet other needs such as providing large numbers of copies.

  For Students:
  

• We can make no more than 1 dub of a given video tape for academic purposes. Personal tapes will not be accepted except for the single copy of those requiring standards conversion.

  Audio Duplication Services
  

• Audio duplication requests are subject to the same types of legal restrictions and copyright laws that govern video duplications.
• Media Services will not knowingly violate copyright standards.
• Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

  TECHNOLOGY CLASSROOMS are equipped with ceiling mounted video/data projectors and dedicated VCR's and some rooms have dedicated computers. Check out this site for a listing of classroom technology available in specific locations (login required). Would you like to have your classroom equipped as a Technology Classroom? Send Sam Atmore an e-mail note describing your ideal classroom for Colby teaching. Labs and seminar rooms scheduled through individual departments are excluded from this list. If you will be making extensive use of data projection and/or require large screen video projection regularly, please contact the Registrar Office to assist you in scheduling one of these rooms. Media Services appreciates one week's advance notice to reserve and set up a portable data projector. (extension 3306)