What is copyright?
"Copyright is a legal device that provides the creator of a work of art or literature, or a work that conveys information or ideas, the right to control how the work is used."
Stephen Fisher, Esq. The Copyright Handbook, 1996
What is Fair Use?
As defined by the United States Copyright Office (www.copyright.gov)
Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:
the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
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the nature of the copyrighted work;
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amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
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the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
What are the Rules of Fair Use for Teachers?
It must meet two tests:
- Brevity (how much of the work you can copy)
- Spontanteity (how many times you can copy it)
Note: The copies should include a notice of acknowledgement for the work's author(s).
For examples:
Click here to access the Copyright Chart provided by www.mediafestival.org.
Click here to access Copyright Lesson Plans on Kathy Schrock's Website!
What is ownership?
The individual, university, or organization that owns the copyright priviledges.
What does intellectual property mean?
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind such as inventions, literatary works such as poems and stories, art creations such as photographs and drawings, names, symbols, images, etc.
For more information on intellectual property click here.
It is not only important that teachers follow the copyright and fair use policies outlined above, but to also site their sources as well as encourage their students to do the same. The links below will provide you with guidelines for citing sources.
For online citation makers:
For more information on Plagiarism, check out the links below:
