General Policies
In order to maximize the value of IEEE publications to authors, users and the IEEE, the following IEEE copyright policies shall be applied throughout the IEEE:

1. IEEE shall serve and protect the interests of its authors and their employers.

2. All technical, educational and professional publications of the IEEE, except newsletters, but including Society and Technical Council Newsletters, are required to be copyrighted by the IEEE.

3. Copyright shall be held by the IEEE and not any of its organizational units.

4. The Intellectual Property Rights Office is responsible for the administration of all IEEE copyright matters under these policies and the procedures which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual. This includes obtaining the copyright registration, handling reprint and republication requests, maintaining copyright records, and administering fees when appropriate. The Intellectual Property Rights Office may, at its discretion, delegate some or all of its copyright implementation responsibilities to other IEEE departments if they have significant publishing activity, subject to procedures approved by a member of the IEEE staff, as designated by the Executive Director.

5. Third-Party Rights to Reuse IEEE-Copyrighted Material. Licenses and permissions to use IEEE copyrighted material (abstracts, full text, etc.) for commercial or other non-IEEE related purposes may be granted under terms approved by the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board.

6. Fees for the reuse of IEEE material are appropriate for contributing to the cost of original publication, especially where the reuse involves the republication of material, or any commercial uses.

7. Prior to publication by the IEEE, all authors or their employers shall transfer to the IEEE in writing any copyright they hold for their individual papers. Such transfer shall be a necessary requirement for publication, except for material in the public domain or which is reprinted with permission from a copyrighted publication.

 8. In return for the transfer of authors’ rights, the IEEE shall grant authors and their employers’ permission to make copies and otherwise reuse the material under terms approved by the Board of Directors which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual.

9. After IEEE accepts the work for publication and the copyright has been transferred, changes or revisions to the work shall not be made without further review and approval.

10. For jointly sponsored conferences, which might require special copyright arrangements, those arrangements shall be made in accordance with the procedures which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual.

11. Copyrighting Electronic Information shall follow the electronic information dissemination procedures, which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual.

12. The PSPB or its authorized designee shall consider the allowance of any exceptions to these Copyright policies.
 

A. General principles of IEEE copyright policies and procedures

1. Enhancing the accessibility, distribution and use of information is a major objective of the IEEE publication program, limited only by the requirements of viability and professional propriety.

2. To meet this objective and control the use of its good name, the IEEE is obligated to secure copyright ownership of the material it publishes.

3. In exercising its rights under copyright, the IEEE recognizes that it is acting in part to serve and protect the interests of its authors and their employers.

4. Fees for the reuse of IEEE material are appropriate for contributing to the cost of original publication, especially where the reuse involves a license to copy, or allows resale, or is of a magnitude that would tend to reduce subscription or other sales income.

5. Copyright policies shall be consistently applied throughout IEEE.

B. Ownership and rights of IEEE copyrighted material 

1. Copyright is held by IEEE itself and not any of its Organizational Units.

2. All technical, educational and professional publications of the IEEE, except newsletters, but including Society and Technical Council Newsletters and e-Newsletters, are required to be copyrighted by the IEEE.

3. Prior to publication by the IEEE, all authors or their employers shall transfer to the IEEE in writing any copyright they hold for their individual papers. Such transfer shall be a necessary requirement for publication, except for material in the public domain or which is reprinted from a copyrighted publication.

4. In return for the transfer of authors’ rights, the IEEE shall grant authors and their employers permission to make copies and otherwise reuse the material under terms approved by the Board of Directors.

5. In the case of jointly sponsored conferences, IEEE recognizes the right of another qualified sponsor to hold the copyright and administer all copyright matters on behalf of the IEEE and its author, provided, however, that such right shall be the subject of a written agreement between IEEE and the qualified sponsor. A conference is not considered a sponsor and may not hold a copyright to IEEE material, except in the case of a conference which is incorporated and maintains its own permanent administrative office.

6. Licenses and permissions to copy or republish IEEE material may be granted under terms approved by PSPB.

C. Implementation of IEEE copyright policy

1. The Editor or conference publication committee chair shall be responsible for obtaining the written transfer of author rights and for forwarding appropriate confirmations to the Intellectual Property Rights Office. A form for effecting the interchange of rights with the author per Sections 8.1.4.B.3 and 8.1.4.B.4 form shall be supplied by PSPB or its authorized representative. The wording used on the form shall be approved by PSPB or its authorized representative.

2. For journals and conference publications, an appropriate copyright notice shall appear on the first page of each technical contribution to simplify and facilitate reuse of individual articles.

3. Should the need for isolated exceptions to any of the above policies and procedures arise, PSPB or its authorized representative is authorized to deal with them on a case-by-case basis.


Also see the Electronic Information Dissemination.