All AHIMA print, audio, and online materials are strictly protected by copyright. In some cases, however, federal copyright law allows the use of copyrighted materials without permission in accordance with what it calls "the doctrine of fair use." Below are some guidelines to help you determine if you need to obtain permission.
Handouts
Are you an instructor making fewer than 35 copies of several pages (not more than 5 pages) of AHIMA materials for use as handouts in a classroom setting at an AHIMA-accredited learning institution? Permission is not necessary.
Are you passing along a few copies to fellow colleagues simply as a matter of education and information-sharing? Permission is not necessary.
Are you compiling, copying, or binding various materials for classroom or other distribution? Permission is required. Fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request.
Are you providing handouts for any situation not addressed above? Permission is required. Fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request.
AHIMA’s copyrighted materials may not be posted, stored, reproduced, or otherwise distributed online. Prohibited methods include but are not limited to YouTube, file transfer sites, and document sharing sites (secured or unsecured). Exceptions may be made at AHIMA’s discretion for academic use in a learning management system; however, permission is required. Fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request.
AHIMA requires submission of a completed AHIMA Permissions Request to request use of any graphic, image, or file from its website. Please note that AHIMA does not grant permission for the use of its logo, in either a print or electronic format.
Is your text not paraphrased, but substantially different from the copyrighted AHIMA original? Is your new text unrecognizable when compared to the original? Permission is not necessary. The source of the information, however, must always be cited as a matter of scholarship.
Are you copying or adapting tables or figures? Permission may not be necessary. What is copyrighted in graphic materials is the design or "image" of the materials, not the information. Unless graphic materials are exact reproductions, the information can be used without the formal permission of the original copyright owner.
If you wish to obtain permission to reproduce an AHIMA table or figure, fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request. In all cases, the source of the information must always be cited as a matter of scholarship.
Fill out the AHIMA Permissions Request.