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Copyright Topics

Copyright as defined is "the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.: works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of the author or creator and for a period of 50 years after his or her death"

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Copyrighted work (yours as well as others) is something that we should all want to thoroughly protect. Therefore, when we incorporate the original work of others into our teaching/learning, we need to do all we possibly can to protect their rights and to give them credit for their original work. 

The following information is provided to aid you in making decisions when using the content of others.  Although, as you will see in your reading, the laws are not straightforward and are very open to interpretation.  Please use caution when posting copyrighted material in your online offerings.


Fair Use:

Fair Use refers to "the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties."

Modern Language Association (MLA):]"fair use." WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. 20 Jun. 2007.

also:

"A use of copyrighted material that does not constitute an infringement of the copyright provided the use is fair and reasonable and does not substantially impair the value of the work or the profits expected from it by its owner; also : the privilege of making a fair use of copyrighted work
NOTE: Among the factors determining if a use of a copyrighted work is a fair use are these: the purpose of the use, the character of the use (as in being commercial or educational in nature), the nature of the copyrighted work, and the amount of the work used."

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 20 Jun. 2007.


Fair Use in Education had its first legal mention in 1976 when the previous copyright laws were re-written.  The phrase "for educational purposes" has always been used to describe the free teaching/learning use of any copyrighted material.  Please read the following to get a better grasp of what this really means.  

  • The following Powerpoint presentation defines "fair use" and gives a history from inception to present developments.

The State of Fair Use in Academia Today
Welsley D. Blakeslee
The Johns Hopkins University, 2005
http://www.jhsph.edu/TechTransfer/Fac_Student_Pg/Blakeslee_PPP_Fair_Use.ppt

  • Here is short and easy explanation of "fair use":

Fair Use in a Nutshell
A Roadmap to Copyright's Most Important Exception
by Attorney Lloyd J. Jassin
http://www.copylaw.com/new_articles/fairuse.html

  • Other reading:

The Conference on Fair Use
Report to the Commisioner on the Conclusion of the
First Phase of the Conference on Fair Use
September 1997
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/confu/conclu1.html

Fair Use Guidelines
Indiana and Purdue Universities
http://www.copyright.iupui.edu/fu_overview.htm


Copyright in Distance Education was addressed directly in 2001 with
The Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act)

  • The TEACH Act is described at the following site.

The Teach Toolkit
from the North Carolina State University Libraries
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/scc/legislative/teachkit/

The TEACH Act Finally Becomes Law
from the University of Texas System
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/teachact.htm

The TEACH Act
Full Text (.pdf)


If you have any questions with copyright, fair use, or any other topics related to these, please feel free to contact snowden@ucc.edu or call at 908-497-4364.