Copyright Law:
Facts and FAQs
By Mr. Joel Free
Career and Technical Education
Troutman Middle School
Our Discussion
 What are some of the copyright issues
associated with making use of Internet
resources in the classroom?
If the use of copyrighted material does not fall into one
of the following categories, then it is in violation of
copyright law.
 Single and multiple copying for instructional
purposes
 Copying for performance and display
 Off-air recording of copyrighted programs
 Use of “for home use only” video tapes
 Computer software
 Reproduction and loan of copyrighted materials by
school media center
 Copyrighted materials on the Internet and online
databases
Next: FAQS
 Frequently Asked Questions about
Multimedia and Copyright Law
Can I use computer graphics in
multimedia presentations?
 Yes, under the following conditions: you
make a single copy for personal use, the
copy is used in only one course, no more
than one graphic is used per book, or the
copying does not occur more than nine
times per course.
How much video can I use in
a multimedia presentation?
 You can use up to ten percent of a
copyrighted work or three minutes,
whichever is less, and the clip can not be
altered in any way.
How much music can I use in a
multimedia presentation?
 You can use up to ten percent of a
copyrighted musical composition, but no
more than thirty seconds.
Do I have to cite files used in
multimedia presentations?
 Yes. Educators and students must credit
sources and must give full bibliographic
information available and display copyright
notice and copyright ownership information
if this is shown in the original source.
How many photographs may I
use in a multimedia
presentation?
 A photograph or illustration can only be
used in its entirety.
 No more than five images of an artist’s or
photographer’s work may be used.
 When using a collection no more than ten
per cent or fifteen images can be used,
whichever is less.
How much text can I use in
a multimedia presentation?
 You can use up to ten per cent or 1,000 words
of a copyrighted work whichever is less.
 You can use an entire poem if it is less than 250
words.
 If the poem is longer you can use only up to 250
words.
 You can use only three poems (or excerpts) per
poet.
 You can use no more than five poems (or
excerpts) of different poets from an anthology.
Fair Use
 Unless allowed as “fair use”
permission must be obtained from the
copyright owner prior to copying
copyrighted material.
References
"AIME Related Web Sites." AIME Newsletter. Association for Information
Media and Equipment. 04 Mar. 2006 <http://www.aime.org/links.php>.
"CONFU Home Page." Conference On "Fair Use" Of Copyrighted Works Concludes
Without Consensus; Educators, Scholars, Librarians To Explore Next Steps. 09
Jun. 1998. Association of Research Libraries. 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/confustate.html>.
"CONFU: The Conference on Fair Use." The UT Crash Course in Copyright. 22 Dec.
2004. Crash Course. 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/INTELLECTUALPROPERTY/confu.htm>.
"Copyright." U.S. Copyright Office. 01 Mar. 2006. U.S. Copyright Office. 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.copyright.gov/>.
"Copyright Website." Copyright Website. 2005. Copyright Website LLC. 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.benedict.com/>.
"Fair Use Education." NINCH Issue Resources. The National Initiative for a Networked
Cultural Heritage (NINCH). 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.ninch.org/ISSUES/COPYRIGHT/FAIR_USE_EDUCATION/FAIR_USE_ED
UCATION.html#guidelines>.
Templeton, Brad. "10 Big Myths about copyright explained." Brad Templeton's
Home Page. Oct. 2004. 04 Mar. 2006
<http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html>.