Although a copy shop that publishes course packets for the University of Florida recently was sued for copyright violations, shops that reproduce materials for Northwestern classes say they are in no such danger of legal action.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported last month that three publishers sued a Gainesville, Fla., copy shop for reproducing large quantities of material for University of Florida course packets without permission. The university was not named in the lawsuit.

CopyCat and Quartet Copies, the two most popular Evanston stores for making course packets, both go through the Copyright Clearance Center to obtain copyright permission, managers said.

“It is kind of a hassle, because sometimes it takes a lot of time to secure certain permissions,” said Chris Linster, owner of Quartet, 818 Clark St. “It can be five minutes, or it can be three weeks.”

But Linster said obtaining permission to reproduce books, articles and other material is important for copy shops because the shops ultimately are responsible for any copyright violations.

“The liability lies with the copy shop, not with the person who brings it in,” he said. “We’re kind of cautious with what we do here.”

The Pulse Copy & Technology Center at Norris University Center uses a partner company to pay royalties for copyrighted material, said Alexander Villarreal, the store’s manager.

The cost of royalties is passed on to students, so smaller packets containing material with higher royalties can cost more than larger packets with more material that is considered part of the public domain, said Scott Jackson, manager of CopyCat, 1830 Sherman Ave.

Villarreal said he suspects some NU professors use copy shops that are not as careful to observe copyright laws to reduce to cost of course packets.

“I’m sure some people aren’t actually going through the right process,” he said.

Permission must be obtained for all material that is not in the public domain or intended for fair use. U.S. copyright law says fair use encompasses reproducing documents in small quantities for personal use, news reporting, teaching and research.

Material enters the public domain — meaning it can be used without permission — after a specified period of time under the law, depending on when it was created. All original material automatically is copyrighted when it is made.

Most packets contain some material that requires permission for reproduction, Jackson said. Obtaining copyright permission has become a regular part of CopyCat’s business for the about 50 course packets the shop prints each quarter.

“That’s pretty much become part of the process,” he said.

Linster said a fine line exists between fair use and use requiring permission. If a question exists, he does not hesitate to turn down a job.

“You don’t want to get entangled in trying to argue what is or isn’t fair use,” he said.

Ann Adams, NU associate general counsel, said the university relies on the copy shops to get permission for materials and reduce liability.

Some publishers have sued universities for copyright infringement because professors or copy shops failed to pay royalties on course packets, she said. Hypothetically, she added, the same thing could happen at NU, although that is unlikely.

“Anyone can sue the university, I suppose,” she said. “It’s so case by case. That’s how things are in the world of copyright.”