LibGuides: Fair Use and Copyright in the Classroom: Home

What is Copyright?

Copyright is one of four basic protections of intellectual property. Copyright gives the creator of a piece of literature, a work of art, or a work that conveys information or ideas the right to decide how their work can be used, and by whom.

This guide is informational and not intended as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an intellectual property attorney.

Copyright at Marymount

MU Copyright Policy

MU Copyright Page

MU Fair Use Checklist

Checklist

Additional Resources for Faculty

American Library Association Copyright Tools
Includes a Public Domain Slider, Section 108 Spinner, and an Exceptions for Instructors eTool.

What is Protected?

Copyight allows authors and creators the rights to

copy
distribute
display
publish
create derivative works

Copyright Basics

Copyright Basics
From the Copyright Information Center at Cornell University
Know Your Copyrights
Association of Research Libraries site that links to case law on fair use, preservation, interlibrary loan, first sale doctrine, and classroom performances and displays among others.
U.S. Copyright Law Glossary of Key Terms
Understanding our nation’s copyright law is important, but also complex. This glossary of key copyright terms is a resource to help promote informed discussions about copyright policy.

What Can or Cannot be Copyrighted?

Anything that is tangible and original can be copyrighted. So a lecture or verbal exchange that is not recorded or written down cannot be copyrighted. To be protected by copyright something must be:

Fixed in time and space. The way it is fixed does not matter. It can be on a piece of paper, posted on line, stored on a phone.
Original. Everything from novels to photographs to emails are all considered to be originals. The entire work does not need to be original. Works can be combined, adapted or transformed in new ways that make them original.
Minimally creative, especially if it is an adaptation or a transformation.

Certain types of material considered to be in the public domain cannot be copyrighted. That includes:

Ideas
Facts
Words, names, slogan, though they may have protection under trademark law
Government documents
Works where copyright has expired

Copyright Law

Stanford University Libraries Copyright & Fair Use page
Case law, legislation, recent decisions relating to copyright and fair use.

Fair Use and Copyright in the Classroom: Home