Publication Policies - Copyright Requirements

OTC policy requires that OTC hold copyright to all copyrightable material in its publications, including conference proceedings, and to the individual contributions contained therein, to protect the interests of OTC, authors and their employers, and at the same time, to facilitate the appropriate re-use of this material by others.

OTC distributes its publications throughout the world and does so by various print and electronic means. OTC also may translate or authorize translation of its publications, and articles contained therein, for inclusion in various publications.

Transfer of copyright to OTC is a requirement for publication, including publication in conference proceedings, with the exception of material that is in the public domain (i.e., is not subject to copyright). Publications are critical in OTC’s mission.

OTC needs to hold copyright to the material. This process allows for maximum dissemination of the information while maximizing protection against infringement by third parties.

Providing copyright to OTC does not mean that the author and his or her employer lose all rights to the material. The author/employer retains any and all rights to any proprietary material disclosed in the paper. Authors and their employers also retain certain rights to make copies and reuse the material (see below).

Under the terms of U.S. copyright law, an assignment of copyright must be a written, signed document from the owner of the work. Copyright assignment protects reproduction and distribution of the paper. OTC does not accept limited permissions, including special licenses, to publish. A Transfer of Copyright Form (wording varies for some jointly-sponsored meetings) must accompany and be executed for any original material to be published by OTC, including publication in conference proceedings. To ensure uniform treatment among all contributors, other forms may not be substituted for this form, nor may any wording of the form be changed.

The term “employers” in the following means the companies*, universities, or an organization for which the authors worked at the time the paper was written.

• Authors/employers retain all intellectual property rights, including any idea, process, procedure, or article of manufacture described in the paper.
   
• Authors/employers may reproduce and distribute copies of the paper internally to employees of the company* or organization for which the author worked at the time the paper was written without prior OTC approval. Such distribution includes posting of the paper on the employer’s intranet accessible only to company employees.
   
• Authors/employers may reproduce, or authorize reproduction of, and distribute up to 50 paper copies of the paper outside the company or organization for which the author worked at the time the paper was written for personal, business, or educational purposes without prior OTC approval provided that the OTC copyright notice is included. The copies may not be used in any way that implies OTC endorsement of a product or service, and the copies themselves may not be offered for sale.
   
• Authors/employers may make an oral presentation of the same material without prior OTC approval provided proper acknowledgement of OTC copyright ownership is made.
   
• Authors/employers may incorporate all or part of the paper in future writings or presentations. If the entire paper or a portion thereof is used in substantially unchanged form, proper acknowledgement of OTC copyright must be made. Authors/employers should locate the paper in OnePetro and follow the "View rights and permissions" link to complete a permissions request.
   
• Authors/employers may request return of one-time journal publication rights to enable publication of the paper in a non-OTC journal or magazine if the paper is not being considered for publication in an OTC journal. To request permission to publish in a non-OTC periodical, authors should locate the paper in OnePetro and follow the "View rights and permissions" link. Requests for return of one-time journal publication rights will not be granted for papers submitted to OTC for peer review unless the paper is declined for publication or it is at least 6 months after the submission date. If the paper is still in OTC peer review after 6 months and such a request is received, the paper will be withdrawn from OTC peer review.
   
• In the case of work performed under a U.S. government contract or grant, OTC recognizes that, if the contract/grant so requires, the U.S. government has royalty-free permission to reproduce all or portions of the paper and to authorize others to do so for official U.S. government purposes only.
   
• For all other uses, authors/employers must request permission from OTC to reproduce or authorize reproduction of the paper. Authors/employers should locate the paper in OnePetro and follow the “View rights and permissions” link to complete a permissions request.
   
• Although authors are permitted to re-use all or portions of the paper in other works, this does not include granting third-party requests for reprinting, republishing, or other types of re-use. OTC must handle all such third-party requests.