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Rights and Copyright

The Adventist Digital Library does not perform copyright research. Copyright status is initially determined by information in the originating institution’s bibliographic or inventory record. In cases where a rights holder has granted the originating institution permission to provide access to a publication, the originating institution retains a record of those permissions. Most of the items provided here are in the public domain or the contributing institution has obtained permissions for distribution. This site is intended for research purposes, and as such, some items may fall under the Fair Use Act of United States copyright law. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment and independently securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with the persons desiring to use particular items in the context of the intended use.

The Adventist Digital Library uses the rights statements developed by the Digital Public Library of America and Europeana. More information can be found at rightsstatements.org. Following is a listing of statements and a brief summary.
  • NO COPYRIGHT - UNITED STATES The institution that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
  • IN COPYRIGHT The institution that has made the Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make the Work available, or makes the Work available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Work available.
  • IN COPYRIGHT - RIGHTS-HOLDER(S) UNLOCATABLE OR UNIDENTIFIABLE The institution that has made the Item available has determined that the Item in copyright but for which no rights-holder(s) has been identified or located after some reasonable investigation.
  • IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED The institution that has made the Item available is the rights-holder or has been explicitly authorized by the rights-holder(s) to allow third parties to use the Work for educational purposes without first obtaining permission.
If any question arises regarding the rights and permissions of any item within the Adventist Digital Library archive, please email content@adventistdigitallibrary.org.