Copyright Law and Higher Ed

"I wanted to save my students some money, so I scanned the entire textbook and uploaded the pages into my course for them. That's OK, right?"
Um, no.

Permission To Use Cartoon

To understand copyright law, sometimes it's easier to think from the perspective of the person whose work is being borrowed than from the perspective of the person who wants to borrow the work. Although your intentions may be good (as in the example above), it is important that credit and royalties for the products of others go to those who created them.

Even in higher ed, where students are asked to consult outside sources and professors need access to a multitude of resources in order to teach their subjects, copyright laws continue to protect the originators of works such as books, art, musical compositions, and videos.

Here's a great little article by Patricia Aufderheide: "Myths About Fair Use" Links to an external site. from Inside Higher Ed (Aug. 2, 2011) that explains copyright law and fair use in a higher ed context.

And here's a clever video by Eric Faden on the subject; it is not only informative but quite enjoyable.A Fair(y) Use Tale Links to an external site.

Have more questions? Contact our librarians at nvc-library@alamo.edu or 210-486-4513 or click the Ask a Librarian link Links to an external site. on the library page.