Terms of Service

Terms Governing Use of Materials
The materials on the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation (VHLF) website are made exclusively available for use in research, teaching and private study. Although the material on this website is publicly accessible for the limited purposes described above, some material is not in the public domain. Copyright of specific materials may be owned by the VHLF, the Vaclav Havel Library in Prague, by another institution, or by an individual. Each collection may have specific copyright information and usage rules. The VHLF makes no warranty that your distribution, reproduction or other use of these materials would be non-infringement. You are solely responsible for making legal assessments regarding the use of an item and securing any necessary permission(s). The written permission of the copyright owners and/or holders of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. As a courtesy, the VHLF endeavors when possible to provide accurate factual information about copyright owners and related matters in the text or metadata that accompany collections or individual items that may assist you in making necessary legal determinations.
If you have more information about an item that you have seen on our website, or if you are the copyright holder and believe our website has not properly attributed your work or has used it without permission, please contact Pavla Niklova, VHLF Executive Director, with your contact information and a link to the relevant content.

The VHLF may grant permission for the exhibition, broadcast, or publication of unrestricted collection materials in accordance with the following conditions:

  • Any permission granted by VHLF will fully comply with the limitations and structures imposed by copyright and the donor of the materials;
  • This permission is valid only insofar as the VHLF, as owner or custodian of the material, has any rights in the matter. This permission does not remove the responsibility of the author, editor, publisher, or broadcaster to guard against infringement of any rights, including copyright that may be held by others;
  • We will not grant an exclusive right to use a particular item. In every instance, the VHLF fully retains its own right to publish material and reserves its right to authorize others to do so;
  • Permission for public use is contingent on materials being properly cited and identified. See the “Citation” section below for more details;
  • To obtain permission, you must submit a written request to info@havelcenter.org with the following information: the specific materials that you wish to use; a brief description of the manner in which these materials will be reproduced; exhibited, broadcast, or published; and your name and contact information;
  • Your request will be reviewed and answered in the order that it was received;
  • We will not sign outside contracts or publisher-generated permission forms. Permission to publish will be granted and recorded only in a letter composed and signed by us;
  • You agree to waive, defend, indemnify and hold harmless VHLF from any and all liabilities, losses, claim, damages, demands, suits, causes of actions, judgments, costs or expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) which may incur as a result of any damage or injury sustained as a result of your breach of warranty, negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, misrepresentation, or violation of law;
  • Any permission granted by VHLF is revocable at VHLF’s discretion; and
  • We reserve the right to refuse to grant permission to publish.

Citation Guide for Material from the VHLF Digital Collections
Please use the following basic format for all citations of materials that are part of the VHLF digital collection:

[Identification of item]. [Name of collection]. The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation Collections. Reference URL. Date (Month Day Year) Accessed.

For example:

“Havel: A Life, David Remnick interviews author Michael Žantovský, 20 April 2015.” Havel Conversations. The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation Collections, New York. http://www.havelcenter.org/havel-conversations/havel-a-life-2/. Accessed January 8, 2016.

To facilitate discoverability and access, the VHLF has sought and received permission from partner organizations to make Havel-related content available on the VHLF site. In these instances, a link to the owning source is provided. When citing content from an external source, please acknowledge the origin of the content.

For example:

“Martin Butora: Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution.” The Freedom Collection. George W. Bush Institute. Dallas, Texas. Retrieved from The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation Collections. New York. http://www.havelcenter.org/havel-archives/martin-butora-czechoslovakias-velvet-revolution/ Accessed October 25, 2015.

Donor Imposed Restrictions upon Materials in our Digital Holdings
Please note that dissemination of some documents – including images, sound, cartographic, textual, or electronic materials – found on our website may be restricted by donor agreement. To distribute, reproduce, or use a copy of these materials, you must obtain permission from the donor. If you have questions about this process, please contact us at info@havelcenter.org.

Copyright Restrictions upon Materials in our Holdings
Some documents – including images, sound, cartographic, textual, or electronic materials – found in our holdings may be copyrighted. Please note that it is your responsibility to identify the copyright owner and to obtain permission before making use of this material in any way.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. This law provides that under certain conditions libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction of materials. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If you use a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” you may be liable for copyright infringement.

Disclaimer for External Links
The VHLF web site provides links to external sites as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The VHLF bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.

Unauthorized Use of Graphics, Videos and Images
In the event that you utilize any VHLF copyright-held graphic, video, or image without, or prior to, the receipt of a written Licensing Agreement from the VHLF, or you utilize any image for any use other than that indicated on the written Licensing Agreement, including but not limited to the number of uses, the publications utilized, or the size or reproduction, VHLF may, without limiting any of its rights hereunder or at law, charge you a liquidated damages fee equal to four (4) times the licensing fee we would have charged for such use of the graphic, video, or image.

The Vaclav Havel Center