Copyright Law: Facts and FAQs

By Mr. Joel FreeCareer and Technical Education

Troutman Middle School

Our Discussion

What are some of the copyright issues associated with making use of Internet resources in the classroom?

If the use of copyrighted material does not fall into one of the following categories, then it is in violation of

copyright law.

Single and multiple copying for instructional purposes

Copying for performance and display Off-air recording of copyrighted programs Use of “for home use only” video tapes Computer software Reproduction and loan of copyrighted materials

by school media center Copyrighted materials on the Internet and online

databases

Next: FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions about Multimedia and Copyright Law

Can I use computer graphics in multimedia presentations?

Yes, under the following conditions: you make a single copy for personal use, the copy is used in only one course, no more than one graphic is used per book, or the copying does not occur more than nine times per course.

How much video can I use in a multimedia presentation?

You can use up to ten percent of a copyrighted work or three minutes, whichever is less, and the clip can not be altered in any way.

How much music can I use in a multimedia presentation?

You can use up to ten percent of a copyrighted musical composition, but no more than thirty seconds.

Do I have to cite files used in multimedia presentations?

Yes. Educators and students must credit sources and must give full bibliographic information available and display copyright notice and copyright ownership information if this is shown in the original source.

How many photographs may I use in a multimedia presentation?

A photograph or illustration can only be used in its entirety.

No more than five images of an artist’s or photographer’s work may be used.

When using a collection no more than ten per cent or fifteen images can be used, whichever is less.

How much text can I use in a multimedia presentation?

You can use up to ten per cent or 1,000 words of a copyrighted work whichever is less.

You can use an entire poem if it is less than 250 words.

If the poem is longer you can use only up to 250 words.

You can use only three poems (or excerpts) per poet.

You can use no more than five poems (or excerpts) of different poets from an anthology.

Fair Use

Unless allowed as “fair use” permission must be obtained from the copyright owner prior to copying copyrighted material.

References"AIME Related Web Sites." AIME Newsletter. Association for Information Media and Equipment. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.aime.org/links.php>. "CONFU Home Page." Conference On "Fair Use" Of Copyrighted Works Concludes Without Consensus; Educators, Scholars, Librarians To Explore Next Steps. 09 Jun. 1998. Association of Research Libraries. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/confustate.html>. "CONFU: The Conference on Fair Use." The UT Crash Course in Copyright. 22 Dec. 2004. Crash Course. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/INTELLECTUALPROPERTY/confu.htm>."Copyright." U.S. Copyright Office. 01 Mar. 2006. U.S. Copyright Office. 04 Mar. 2006

<http://www.copyright.gov/>. "Copyright Website." Copyright Website. 2005. Copyright Website LLC. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.benedict.com/>. "Fair Use Education." NINCH Issue Resources. The National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH). 04 Mar. 2006

<http://www.ninch.org/ISSUES/COPYRIGHT/FAIR_USE_EDUCATION/FAIR_USE_EDUCATION.html#guidelines>.

Templeton, Brad. "10 Big Myths about copyright explained." Brad Templeton's Home Page. Oct. 2004. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html>.