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OVC Publishing Guidelines for Print and Multimedia About OVCOJP seal: Innovation . Partnerships . Safer Neighborhoods Message From the DirectorOVC Publishing Guidelines for Print and Multimedia NCJ 229712 / March 2010
Home Submission Deadlines Submission Requirements Publishing Process Product Types Writing Tips Developing an E-Pub Producing a Video Copyright & Policy Requirements
Copyright & Policy Requirements

Follow these usage standards:

Copyright Policy

  • Incorporating material protected by copyright. Material from works that are protected by copyright—such as written or audiovisual materials or images—may not be incorporated into products created under an OVC grant or contract without advance written approval from OVC (and the Office of Justice Programs [OJP] contracting officer, if applicable). Contact your OVC grant specialist or Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to obtain this approval. Expect that OVC and OJP will require you to obtain written permission from the copyright holder (a written license) sufficient as to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) rights. In general, a license must be sufficient to ensure that DOJ's ability to use (and authorize others to use) the grant or contract product is not impaired by inclusion of the copyrighted material. You are responsible for acquiring any required licenses and paying any necessary fees. Incorporating material from works that are protected by copyright without a written license is considered violating copyright law and plagiarism. Examples include—

    • Content lifted from websites or published works (whether in print or online) without attribution or permission.
    • Quotes that run way too long (i.e., more than a few paragraphs).
    • Paraphrasing without citation.

    For more information, see OVC's Text, Photography, and Audio-Visual Reuse Policy.

  • Subgrants and subcontracts. If you intend to incorporate materials developed under a subgrant or subcontract into a grant or contract product, contact OVC in advance of the agreement to discuss flow-through requirements regarding copyright and the DOJ license that must be incorporated into the agreement.

  • Notice of copyright. If your product incorporates material from other works that are protected by copyright, incorporate notice of copyright in the product's text, captions, footnotes, or legends, as appropriate. Notice of copyright should be consistent with any requirements set forth in the license from the copyright holder.

  • Authority to copyright a work. In general, unless specified otherwise in the award, you may copyright any work that is subject to copyright and is developed—or for which ownership is purchased—under an award. Any such copyright is subject to a broad royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license retained by DOJ to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use (including in the creation of derivative works) the copyrighted material for Federal Government purposes, and to authorize others to do so.

    Contract provisions may vary with respect to copyright and retained licenses and may differ from those that apply to grants. Contact OVC and your OJP contracting officer for information regarding a particular contract.

  • Agreements with outside publishers. If you propose to offer materials developed under a grant or contract to a publisher for publication or distribution, you must contact OVC in advance to discuss applicable requirements with respect to the DOJ license.

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Accessibility and 508 Compliance

The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 require that electronic data and information technology provided by the Federal Government be accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 of the Act, which focuses on information disseminated through the Web, requires that "alt" (alternative) text be supplied with all graphics. These brief descriptions (20 words or fewer) of graphic elements enable people who are visually impaired to listen to the document using special text-reading software, and allow people who view the site without graphics to understand what the images convey. OVC complies with this and all standards of section 508. In addition, OVC requires that all DVDs include subtitles and an enhanced audio script (see Submission Requirements, Videos, File Setup). For more information, see the Summary of Section 508 Standards.

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Logos and Disclaimers

Logos

The OVC logo is the exclusive property of OVC. All products produced by OVC must include the OVC logo and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) seal and tagline. Grantee products that are produced with OVC funding but not published by OVC should not include the OVC logo but should include a disclaimer (see Disclaimer).

You must obtain approval from OVC to include the OVC logo and OJP seal and tagline on reproduced products; OVC also must approve the placement of the logo, seal, and tagline. Under no circumstances shall you reproduce and release a product that duplicates the official DOJ header or the Oxford rule. Please contact your grant monitor or COTR for more information.

Disclaimers

All OVC publications and videos must include standard funding information and a disclaimer, as written in the special conditions for your grant.

Use the following disclaimer for most products/publications:

“This product was supported by grant [or contract, cooperative agreement] number _____________________, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Use the following disclaimer for products and publications produced by another organization, such as a video production house:

“This product was produced by [name of production company] and supported by grant [or contract, cooperative agreement] number _____________________, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Use the following disclaimer for mobile apps:

“This app is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime. Neither DOJ nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this app (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).”

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