This page is designed to help you understand and abide by the rules of
copyright protection.
Q&A on
Copyright in the Campus Community - The Copyright Clearance Center has
published a new edition of a popular copyright guidebook for colleges and
universities. The seventh edition of "Questions & Answers on
Copyright for the Campus Community" provides answers to 31 common
copyright questions, as well as other information, to help colleges understand
how copyright law applies to them. The latest edition provides updated
information on the use of electronic course materials and software. In recent
years, many faculty members have begun posting copyrighted content on web
sites and internal course management systems, where this content can be read,
downloaded, and printed by students. The guidebook makes clear that the use of
such content is governed by the same legal principles that apply to printed
materials. "With more content now available in digital form, it is
important to clarify copyright responsibilities in the digital age, and that's
what this guidebook is designed to do," said Tracey Armstrong, chief
operating officer of Copyright Clearance Center.
Copyright
Basics and the Internet - The Copyright Basics page of the Lakeview High
School Library Web site offers students and teachers a succinct summary of
copyright history, fair use, public domain, and guidelines for utilizing
educational multimedia in a school project. The issue of Internet plagiarism
is addressed and additional links to online copyright resources are provided.
Copyright and
the Classroom - The Copyright Alliance Education Foundation has
developed a free online video, Copyright in the Classroom, to provide
a quick explanation of copyright, identify “teachable moments” in the
classroom, and review all the free teaching resources available at the
Alliance web site.
Copyright
Guidelines
Copyright
Law in the Electronic Environment
The Copyright Website
Stanford University
Guidelines
Simpson, Carol. "Copyright for Schools: A Practical Guide, 3rd
Edition." Linworth Publishing ISBN 1-58683-018-x.. 2001. 176 pages. www.linworth.com
Fair Use
The concept of fair use has existed since the founding of our
nation. The Copyright Act of 1976 was enacted to protect the rights of
individuals to comment, criticize, report, and teach on content that is
protected by copyright. The specific fair use text is as follows:
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106
and 17 U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use
by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by
that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting,
teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or
research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the
use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be
considered shall include:
- the purpose and character of the use, including
whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit
educational purposes;
- the nature of the copyrighted work;
- the amount and substantiality of the portion used in
relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
- the effect of the use upon the potential market for
or value of the copyrighted work.
The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a
finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the
above factors.
These four factors make for an excellent framework for decision making with
regard to fair use. A useful tool for analyzing if use of copyrighted material
falls under the doctrine of "fair use" is the
Fair Use Checklist from
Indiana/Purdue University Copyright Management Center. Using these four
factors as headings, you can determine if you are within the bounds of fair use
when it comes to incorporating copyrighted materials in the classroom.
