LibGuides: Copyright for Educators: Websites & Tools

Websites

Visiting a variety of websites on copyright is a good way to get an overview of various applications of fair use and the TEACH Act in education

Selected Websites - Tools & Guidelines

Below are some tools and guidelines related to copyright created by various organizations to help you determine use of copyrighted works in an educational setting.

ALA Fair Use Evaluator
American Library Association has developed a Fair Use Evaluator tool to help you determine if Fair Use applies to your situation.
You can use this tool to produce a PDF document for your records, which could prove valuable, should you ever be asked by a copyright holder to provide your Fair Use evaluation and the data you used to support it.
ALA Exceptions for Instructors ETool
This tool created by the ALA Office for Information Technology can help you determine if Section110 or the TEACH Act applies to your situation.
It guides users step by step through the educational exceptions in U.S. copyright law to help explain and clarify rights and responsibilities for the "performance and display" of copyrighted content in traditional, distance and blended educational settings. You can use this tool to produce a PDF document for your records
KCTCS Administrative Policies:Intellectual Property and Copyright
A link to KCTCS Administrative Policies:related to Intellectual Property and Copyright
ALA Public Domain Slider
Use this handy digital slider created by the American Library Association to help decide if a work is part of the public domain yet.
Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries
The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries is a clear and easy-to-use statement of fair and reasonable approaches to fair use developed by and for librarians who support academic inquiry and higher education. The Code was developed in partnership with the Center for Social Media and the Washington College of Law at American University.
Digital Image Rights Computator
VRA: The International Association of Image Media Professionals has a tool to help determine the educational use of images. The Digital Image Rights Computator (DIRC) program is intended to assist users in their assessment of the intellectual property status of images.
Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (Circular 21)
This document produced by the U.S. Copyright Office contains helpful information about and guidelines for copyright for educators and librarians.
Model Permission Letters - Columbia University
A few example letters for seeking or granting permission in various situations. From Columbia University's Copyright Advisory Office website.
Teach Act Toolkit
Information about the TEACH Act for online educators, from University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Maricopia Community College's Copyright Tutorial
Online copyright tutorial based principally on information contained in the copyright guidelines established for Maricopa Community Colleges. Contains some useful examples.
Columbia University Copyright Advisory Office
The website maintained by Columbia University Libraries Copyright Advisory Office is a good resource that provides information about Fair Use. Has a Fair Use Checklist.
The Center for Internet and Society
The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School and a part of Law, Science and Technology Program at Stanford Law School. CIS brings together scholars, academics, legislators, and more to study the interaction of new technologies and the law. Its Fair Use Project supports endeavors related to the clarification and extension of Fair Use.
ALA Section 108 Spinner
ALA American Library Association's Office for Information Technology also has created a Section 108 "Spinner" to help librarians with utilizing the Section 108 exemption (replacement copies, ILL). While the spinner was designed for libraries and archives, there are some situations described that may be of use to other researchers or educator

Selected Websites - Copyright Education

Teaching Copyright
Electronic Frontier Foundation's "Teaching Copyright" curriculum was created to help teachers present the laws surrounding digital rights to students
Media Education Lab: Copyright
Copyright resources from the Media Education Lab at Temple University. Resources to promote copyright clarity in the classroom, including teaching materials, a chart for documenting the fair-use reasoning process, and more.

Selected Websites - U.S. Laws & Information

U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17)
U.S. Copyright Law and Related Laws contained in the United States Code, as published on the U.S. Copyright Office's website (Circular 92).
U.S. Code website
Search the U.S. Code for copyright law
U.S. Copyright Office - Pending Congressional Legislation
U.S. Copyright's Office's link to pending legislation in Congress related to copyright law

Linking Instead of Making Copies of a Work

Sometimes, it is possible to eliminate the need for seeking copyright permission by providing a link to an item instead of making copies.

The library already may have paid for a subscription license to an online database that allows online access to the item you want to use. Check the library’s web site to see if the item you wish to use for your class is available there, online. In cases when the library hasn’t subscribed to access from a database, the work may be available for free on a legally accessible website. Online open access journals often allow linking, for example.

When in Doubt, Get Permission

Not sure if a use is covered under Fair Use or the TEACH Act? You can always seek permission from the copyright holder.

Subject Guide

Maureen Cropper

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Librarian / Professor
BCTC - Lexington, KY