Research Guides: Copyright and Fair Use: Online Teaching

Introduction

The purpose of this information is to provide faculty with a better understanding of Copyright usage in the classroom.

While copyright issues can be difficult, here you will find the information to assist you with the Do’s and Don’ts of copyright usage in the classroom.

Resources for Online Education

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts
via Center for Media and Social Impact
Creative Commons
Resource List: Copyright and COVID-19
via Author's Alliance
Resources from Creator/Copyright Community to Ease Coronavirus Impact
via Copyright Alliance
The Ultimate Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons for Educators
via The Edublogger
Webcasting in the Time of COVID-19: Copyright Implications of RemoteWorship & Distance Learning
via CRS Legal Sidebar

Copyright Basics for Faculty

If links are publicly available online, link to them.
If links are available through subscription access, follow terms of use (ex: an article from an academic database). It’s safest to link to the article and have students log in and access the material with their STC credentials.
If you wish to make copies, consider the four factors of fair use. (See Fair Use section for more information):
1. Purpose and character of use
2. Nature of the copyrighted work
3. Amount of work used
4. Effect on the market

Source: Webinar: Copyright in Online Teaching and Learning by the Academy for Teaching Excellence

The four factors of fair use still apply.
Link to materials whenever possible.
Try to avoid material created and marketed for course use (ex: supplementary videos for a textbook that you have not adopted for your class). This is unlikely to fall under fair use.
Password-protect materials (ex: use Blackboard to post your materials).
Do not allow downloading unless you created and own the content.
Notify students that the media is for educational use only.
If copying clips under fair use (ex: making a compilation of clips to show in class), keep clips brief and only use what is necessary to get your point across.
Provide attributions to the copyright holder of the materials being used.

Adapted from Webinar: Copyright in Online Teaching and Learning by the Academy for Teaching Excellence and Fair Use and Copyright for Online Education: Examples: Video by The University of Rhode Island Library

Finding and Creating Content

CORE (Connecting Repositories)
The world’s largest collection of open access research papers
Google Books
Search and preview millions of books worldwide; full-text copies of books in the public domain are available
HathiTrust Digital Library
Preserves and provides lawful access to 17 million digitized items
Project Gutenberg
Full-text editions of literature available in the public domain

Films on Demand
Database online videos in a variety of subject areas. Since it requires an STC login for access, linking to the material (rather than embedding) is strongly recommended.
For more assistance, please view the Films on Demand tutorial.

Library of Congress Digital Collections
Contains access to millions of items available to the public
The Open Video Project
Provides video clips from a variety of sources, especially various video programs obtained from U.S. government agencies such as the U.S. Records and Archives Administration and NASA. Intended for fair use
USA.gov YouTube Channel
Links to videos across government

Digital Public Library of America
Provides open access to millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country
Flickr Advanced Search
Allows users to search for Creative Commons licensed work that is available for public use with attribution
Google Arts & Culture
Partners with artists and institutions worldwide to make artwork accessible online
Wikimedia Commons
A database of images available through public domain and Creative Commons licenses

FreeSound
A collaborative database of audio snippets, samples, recordings, and all sorts of bleeps, released under Creative Commons licenses
Legal Music for Videos
A list of websites that have music available for public use via Creative Commons licensing
LibriVox
Public domain audiobooks read by volunteers from around the world
Musopen
Recordings, sheet music, and textbooks available to the public for free, without copyright restrictions

Classroom Use Exemption

Under the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (“TEACH”) Act, instructors are generally allowed to screen video clips and movies inside the classroom for educational purposes. This exemption does not apply to distance education. However, fair use may still apply.

For more information, see the American Library Association's issue brief, Streaming of Films for Educational Purposes and Exceptions & Limitations: Classroom Use, Fair Use, and more by the University of Minnesota.