Confused About Fair Use?
Are you confused about fair use copyright law? According to a new report, you are not alone!
In an age when digital images and recordings to supplement and enhance education are abounding, unnecessary restrictions and a lack of understanding about copyright law are compromising the goal of using such technology in the classroom, says a new report. After interviewing educators, educational media producers and media-literacy organizations, the report's researchers conclude that educators have no shared understanding of what constitutes fair-use practices, and that teachers face conflicting information about their rights, and their students' rights, to use copyrighted works.
source: eSchoolNews Online - link
In my experience, most uses of copyrighted material I see at Catlin Gabel qualify as fair use. You are in the clear if you meet the following four conditions.
- You are using the material for educational use. We nearly always meet this criterion.
- The work is already published, nonfiction, and serves an educational purpose in your class. Copying fiction is less likely to be considered fair use.
- You are using a relatively small portion of the complete work. In other words, don't copy an entire book or magazine!
- Your use does not preclude you or your audience from purchasing the work. This is why we have a password-protected community web site. Also, student performance of a copyrighted work will not generally preclude a person from purchasing a professional copy of that work.
Here are three more useful links:
Stanford Copyright & Fair Use: The Four Factors
Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use