Quickie Guide to Copyright for Teachers

Any person who creates a poem, story, movie, song, essay, cartoon, picture, play, newspaper article, CD, CD-ROM, DVD, radio or TV interview, story or program, magazine article, building plan, art work, photograph, internet site or graphics or logo, internet article or picture or animated icon, database or spreadsheet, HTML code, software, book, or other written, visual, audio, online, or multimedia product has a copyright on it. That means you are limited in what you may borrow to use in your own projects. You must stay within "fair use" limits, and to go beyond "fair use", you must get permission. You must always give proper credit, citing your sources properly and completely. The laws on copyright are complex, and these guidelines are only approximate. You are responsible for proper use, permissions, and giving credit.

General Guidelines

Alterations

In general, you must use the material in its original form, without alteration, editing, or changing format. Any alteration must be clearly noted, and in most cases, is allowable only with permission.

Crediting Sources & Copyright Notice

You must use proper citation form (MLA or APA style) and show the copyright notice © and copyright ownership information if it is included in the original source.

Multimedia Project Credit Screen

In a multimedia project, you must include an opening screen stating your project contains copyrighted materials used according to the "fair use" exemption and/or by permission. Be sure to include a mediagraphy (screen with list of all sources used to create your project).

Public Domain Material

Works in the public domain, such as U. S. Government documents and other works, or works on which the copyright has expired, may be used without permission or limitations noted in these guidelines.

Student Use in Portfolios

Students may perform and display their own educational multimedia projects created following "fair use" guidelines in the course for which they were made and may use them in portfolios as examples of their work for later personal uses such as job and college interviews. This is equally true for teachers who maintain professional portfolios for tenure or job interviews.

"Fair Use" for Educational Purposes

Portions of copyrighted material may be used by teachers and students in projects and presentations which are educational, non-commercial, and limited in numbers of copies and distribution. What teachers and students may use in classrooms, presentations, projects, and portfolios is called "fair use" exemption to the copyright law.

"Fair Use" Guidelines for Teachers

Written Materials - newspapers, books, magazines, CD-ROM, computer files, etc.

• Up to 10% of the total or 1,000 words, whichever is less

• A chapter from a book, an article from a magazine or newspaper, a short story or essay--one copy

• A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, magazine, or newspaper--one copy

• Multiple copies of any of the above for classroom use, one copy per student, in one course, with copyright notice prominently displayed, not to be used repeatedly from one semester or year to another

Poems

• An entire poem of less than 250 words may be used

• No more than 3 poems by one poet

• No more than 5 poems by different authors in an anthology

Illustrations or Photographs

• No more than 5 images from one artist or photographer

• Up to 10% or 15 works, whichever is less, from a collection

Music - CDs, audiotape, computer files

• Up to 10% of the work but no more than 30 seconds

• One copy of recordings of performances by students may be made for evaluation or rehearsal purposes and may be retained by the school or teacher

• Emergency copying only of printed music to replace owned copies, with purchased copies to replace them later

Motion media - video, TV or radio broadcast, DVD, CD-ROM, computer files

• Up to 10% of the total or 3 minutes, whichever is less

• No alteration of clip

Database or Spreadsheet

• Up to 10% or 2500 fields or cell entries, whichever is less

Internet

• Use care in downloading any sites because of possible combination of copyrighted and public domain material

• Do not post multimedia projects claiming "fair use" exemption on an unsecured web site

Getting Permission

When you need to get permission

• If you intend to publish another person's photographs, logos, graphics, etc. on your web site

• If you intend to use the project for commercial or non-educational purposes

• If you want to use more of a copyrighted work than "fair use" allows

• If you want to use the materials repeatedly

• When you want to use a work in its entirety and it is longer than 2500 words

• When you intend to duplicate the project with more than two copies or allowable multiple copies

• If your project may have a broader use at a later time

• If you want to change the format, alter the presentation or modify the content

How to get permission

Write or e-mail the copyright holder, publisher, or other obvious source. Include the information below and note specifically what you want permission to copy, use, and what you plan to do with it.

• Title

• Author(s)

• Copyright year

• Medium/format to be duplicated

• Number of copies

• Manner of distribution

• Type of reproduction

• Length of retention

• Purpose/use of the reproduction

• Contact information, address, e-mail, or fax number

What is Not Allowed

You May Not...

• Make copies of commercial videos

• Make multiple copies of different works to substitute for the purchase of books, publisher's reprints, or periodicals

• Copy the same works from semester to semester or year to year

• Copy software or music to a computer hard drive, CD or audiotape

• Allow a friend to copy your software or music to a computer

• Use a web site HTML code without permission

• Post a web page without permission for photographs, graphics, designs and logos used from other sources

Sources

“Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom, on the Internet, and the

     World Wide Web.”  University of Maryland University College, 1996-2002.

    17 May 02.<http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.html>                                                                             

“Copyright Applies to Everyone.” Missouri Dept of Elementary & Secondary Education, 2000. 

    15 Mar 02. <http://www.dese.state.mo.us/divimprove/curriculum /copyright/finaldoc.pdf

“Copyright Basics.”  Text of Power Point Presentation, Penn State Libraries. 17 May 02.

     <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/mtss/fairuse/fairhigh.html>

  “Copyright Guidelines.”  Catholic Univ. of America.   17 May 02.

     <http://counsel.cua.edu/IP/Copyright/Fair_use.htm>

“Copyright in an Electronic Environment.” North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.  17 May 02. 

     <http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/copyright.html>

 “Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia.”  Educational Multimedia Fair Use 

    Guidelines Development Committee, July 17, 1996.  11 Feb. 2001.  17 May 02.

     <http://www.indiana.edu.~ccumc/ccguides.html#toc>

Lundstrom, Marie, Librarian, and Jan Thompson, Technology Coordinator, Dimond High School,

     Anchorage AK. 28 May 02.  

This guide was created by Marie Lundstrom, librarian at Dimond High School. She has given her permission for Goldenview to customize and use it.