Copyright Issues

Copyright infringements are committed everyday, most without even knowing. By just showing a movie in class, you may be committing a pretty serious crime. Educators however are one of the few who may get a slight exemption to copyright laws. Teachers have the opportunity to use copyrighted works without the permission of authors by making certain that they follow four guidelines to using the material:

1. The copyrighted material must be used for non-profit educational purposes.

2. It depends on the nature of the material being used. ( some material just cannot be used)

3. The amount of the material being used. ( some material cannot be fully utilized... I.E a 250 word limit on poems.

4. The effect it will have on the market or value of the material.

As you can see, the guidelines aren't exactly specific and quite open to interpretation. What constitutes fair use? The answer is not that simple and has not been for some time. Teachers just have to be very careful with what they use in their classrooms and try to follow the guidelines as much as possible even though they are vague.