Copyright & Licensing Information

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Copyright & Licensing

Copyright & Fair Use

The current copyright law is encoded in the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 and its later amendments. Copyright is a statutory privilege extended to creators of works fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright laws legally protect the potential monetary value of creative endeavors as a way of encouraging the producers of information and entertainment to publish their work, and thus to share it with others. The Copyright Act also sets forth four factors that courts are to consider in determining whether copying of someone else's work is permitted by the doctrine of fair use. The Internet Web links provided on this page will help you learn about copyright and how it affects your students, and you, as an educator.

Activities
This Web site is structured as a lesson plan and reference for copyright and licensing issues geared toward educators. Here is an overview of how you might use this Web site:

Take the copyright quiz as a pretest from Cyberbee's Copyright Workshop. This Web site has lesson plans, printable worksheets, and links for teaching copyright. Click on Copyright Questions for the True/False quiz. (15 minutes)
Use the links below to find out more about copyright issues. The first four links are "must reads." Use the others for further information or if you have more time. (45 minutes)
Enjoy the Copyright and Licensing PowerPoint Presentation. (20 - 70 minutes)
Take the Copyright and Licensing Quizzes (30 minutes):
- Cloze Quiz (Fill-in-the-Blank)
- True/False Quiz

Vital Information

To Copy or Not to Copy - That is the Question - This site covers TV and video, photocopying, computer software, music, the Internet and multimedia. The laws are explained in simple language for educators.
Ten Big Myths of Copyright Explained - by Brad Templeton. Also, click on his link to "a brief introduction to copyright" as well as the link to "discussion of linking rights issues."
Keeping it Legal: Questions Arising out of Web Site Management - by Jamie McKenzie, From Now Own, Vol. 5, No. 7, June 1996.
The Copyright Website - topics include visual arts, audio arts, digital arts, basic information and news. Includes samples and examples for each category. Please read the section on digital arts.

Other Resources

Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) - formerly Software Publishers Association. Read through their Anti-Piracy Programs and Policies. Includes a glossary of copyright terms. Excellent resource.

Copyright Issues for the Electronic Age - ERIC Digest, April 1995. Explains copyright laws in relation to educators and librarians in a question, answer format.

U.S. Copyright Office - go right to the source.

Copyright and K-12: Who Pays in the Network Era? - from the Future of Networking Technologies for Learning (a group sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology).

Fair Use of Copyrighted Works - from the Consortium for Educational Technology for University Systems (CETUS).

Bellingham Schools Copyright Policy - crafted by an attorney with copyright expertise. Also see the Kent School District Copyright Policy.

CCUMC [Educational] MultiMedia Fair Use Guidelines - The Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC) Fair Access Working Committee developed these draft guidelines.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act - this act is Public Law 105-304 as of the end of October, 1999. Also signed at that time was the Copyright Extension Act, P.L. 105-278. This Web site from the American Library Association explains the role of libraries and these laws.

Use of Screen Shots - Microsoft's position on using screen shots of its software in relation to copyright.

Music Copyright - from the Music Library Association.

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