Note: The information provided in this site is for informational and guidance purposes only and may not be construed as legal advice. If you have specific issues or areas that need clarification, you are encouraged to consult with a qualified attorney.
| Copyright FAQ's
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What do My Students Need to Know about Copyright?
Student projects, presentations and papers are made richer, more interesting and more effective by the judicious use of visuals, media clips and other copyrighted resources drawn from the "real world." Unfortunately, the greatest danger from the intellectual property perspective is students getting into the mindset that everything is fair game. This can result in a shock when students leave the university and realize they have to play by the rules in the real world.
Students ARE included in Fair Use
Under the Fair Use provisions, students are permitted to:
- incorporate portions of lawfully acquired copyrighted works without permission, when producing their own educational multimedia projects for a specific course
- perform and display those projects in the course for which they were created
- retain those projects in their own portfolios as examples of their academic work for later personal uses such as job and school interviews
Students may use their projects:
- during the course for which the project was created
- for portfolio use as examples of their academic work
Applying the Fair Use test, and respecting the limitations on portions,
copying and other guidelines are the same for student works.
An important point to reinforce:
If there is the potential that a student work might become commercialized
at some future date, Fair Use will no longer apply and permissions will
need to be acquired after the fact. If there is an interest or strong
potential that this might be the case, it is advisable to secure appropriate
permission in advance.
Use of a Student's Work:
Another area where caution is advised is your use of student works (assignments,
projects, contributions to discussion, etc.) in subsequent versions
of the course or in other courses. Going back to the fundamental principle
of intellectual property, the student owns his or her work, even though
it is submitted in response to course requirements. If you want to use
the work as a good example or to incorporate new content areas you should
secure permission from the student.
A few warnings to consider:
- The legality of downloading music, video, images and documents from the Web without permission is highly questionable. Likewise, posting protected music, video clips, images and documents to a Web site without permission is questionable. This is an area of hot debate with widely differing opinions. Students in general have taken a much more liberal approach in this area than is advisable. Caution is advised in this area anytime the use is not entirely for personal purposes.
- Use of copyrighted materials, whether under Fair Use or a secured permission, requires appropriate acknowledgement and citations of the copyright and source.
- Use of commercial logos, trademarks, product images and registered names in student works is very common, but it is also highly challengeable. Students should be encouraged to observe the limitations and restrictions on the use of such materials, get permission whenever possible and include appropriate citations for those items.
What to do?
Unfortunately, there is no source of support or advisor to help students with the use of copyrighted materials.
- Build awareness of the issue. Find out what your students know about copyright and help them understand why it is an important issue.
- Use the news to make the point. Items about copying, the use of commercial logos or trademarks; pirated music and video, and copyright ownership disputes frequently appear in the news. They can be used as a way to introduce the topic and begin raising student awareness.
- Use the Web resources listed in the Resources section and the downloadable handout files listed below. We ask that you NOT refer students to this site -- this is a FACULTY resource.
Resources/Handouts for Students (in PDF format -- requires Acrobat Reader )
- What is Copyright? (PDF)
- Fair Use and The Fair Use Test (PDF)
- Copyright on the Web (PDF)
- How to get Permission to Use Copyrighted materials (PDF)
- Release for the Use of Student Assignments (PDF)
If you would like additional information, e-mail Rick Davis, cataloging librarian for Cook Library, at rkdavis@towson.edu or call 410-704-4116.
