Copyright BasicsCopyright Basics

Harding Avenue Elementary School Juliet R. Ryan

GoalsGoals

Better understanding of basic copyright laws

Understanding of the “Fair Use” principle

Copyright information to share with students

This presentation will provide teachers with:

Copyright LawCopyright Law

According to the Berne copyright convention, every

creative work is copyrighted the moment it is

created. No registration is required and the work

does not necessarily need to be followed with the

commonly understood “c in a circle” - © .

The copyrights lasts until 70 years after the author

dies.

Copyright InfringementCopyright Infringement

Copyright infringement is using or reproducing a person’s creative work.

Copyrighted material can only be used with express permission from the creator of the work.

Use of copyrighted material in elementary schools usually falls under the “fair use” guidelines.

MCPS Copyright GuidelinesMCPS Copyright GuidelinesPOLICY 6-5.3      COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS

                 Reproduction of Copyrighted Materials

 In compliance with the Copyright Act of 1976, including the Guidelines for Classroom Copying and the Guidelines for the Educational Use of Music, copyrighted materials shall not be duplicated by school division employees or on division equipment, whether print or non-print, in violation of the exclusive rights of the holders of the copyright on such materials.  The division superintendent shall designate a person responsible for disseminating copyright administrative procedures to school division employees.

Copyrighted materials may be duplicated with the prior written permission of the copyright holder.  Teachers shall get permission to use materials of the copyright owner whenever possible and feasible, unless the use of materials falls within a “fair use” as defined by law.  Permission to duplicate copyright material shall be placed on file in the office of the person responsible for disseminating copyright administrative procedures for the school division.

Teachers shall have access to resources which detail the specific “fair use” safe harbors for copying.  The school division assumes no liability for infringement of copyright by individual employees.

 

Examples of copyrighted materialsExamples of copyrighted materials

Books Workbooks Web sites Music Works of art Computer software Pictures & clipart Lesson plans DVD and VHS movies Digital video, including

United Streaming(this list is not all inclusive)

Fair UseFair Use

Fair use guidelines incorporate the use of small portions

of copyright material for educational purposes.

For example, a teacher can read a poem during a

teaching unit on poetry without receiving direct permission

from the poet. However, the same teacher would not be

able to recite that same poem during a “Poetry Slam” at a

local coffee shop, unless permission had been granted by

the poet.

Amount SubstantialityAmount Substantiality

Amount substantiality refers to copying information

from an on-line source or CD-ROM. While it is

acceptable to copy parts of an article, students

and teachers should be reminded not to print

entire articles. Show students how to determine

what specific information they need and then how

to “cut and paste” just that information.

Public DomainPublic Domain

Certain material is posted on various educational sites and is specifically meant to be shared among teachers. An example would be the Lesson Plans Library at discoveryschool.com. However, those plans are still copyrighted because they are an individual’s work. Teachers may use and reproduce those plans however, he or she may not claim them as their own or distribute them freely throughout the school unless copyright information is listed.

Movies for entertainmentMovies for entertainment

When public schools want to show a movie purely for

entertainment purposes (ie. Indoor recess), it is

required by law to obtain a license. This permission

typically costs around $350 per year.

The cost can be covered or shared with the PTA since in

turn, they could use the license to show movies at a

“Movie Night” for families, as long as an admission fee

is not charged and no public advertising occurs.

Site License Example:Site License Example:

Get PermissionGet Permission

Encourage and teach students how to write to

an author or illustrator to request permission

to use copyrighted material in their

assignment or project.

Sample letterSample letter

Here is a sample of a letter students can send to request permission to use a graphic or sound clip.

Teach by exampleTeach by example

Remember that copying CD’s, sharing music, downloading video clips, and forwarding pictures that someone else has taken are all considered to be acts of “cyber piracy”.

Don’t allow it to occur in your classroom.

Works CitedWorks Cited

dpi.wi.gov/lbstst/copyres.html policy.mcps.org/Section_6_ARTICLE_V_Policy_6-

5.3_COPYRIGHTED_MATERIALS.htm

scholar.lib.vt.edu/copyright/ www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html