In this post, I'll explain copyright, fair use and the permissible amounts of copyrighted information that can be used by teachers/students. Dictionary.com defines copyright as "the legal right granted to an author, a composer, a playwright, a publisher, or a distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work." This protects the right of the creator to be compensated for their work. These pieces of work must be written down and be creative. When thinking about what can be used in the classroom, teachers must remember that nearly everything original is copyrighted once created. Authors do not have to announce their copyright or display the copyright symbol to have their work protected. It is widely recommended to assume a work is copyright protected and ask permission before using.


There are situations where you are not required to ask permission. These situations would fall under the fair use rule. This doctrine is only allowed when the person is not using the work for the purpose of creating income for themselves. Work may be used within fair use when being used in an educational setting. When determining fair use, some factors must be considered:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
2. the nature of the copyrighted work.
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole.
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. (Education World, 2015)

There are guideline educators have created that are geared towards their specific line of work. The guidelines allow them to copy:

• a single chapter from a book

• an excerpt from a work that combines language and illustrations, such as a children's book, not exceeding two pages or 10 percent of the work, whichever is less

• a poem of 250 words or less or up to 250 words of a longer poem

• an article, short story, or essay of 2,500 words or less, or excerpts of up to 1,000 words or 10 percent of a longer work, whichever is less; or

• a single chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper. (Education World, 2015)

The guidelines do not allow them to:

• make multiple copies of different works as a substitute for the purchase of books or periodicals

• copy the same works for more than one semester, class, or course

• copy the same work more than nine times in a single semester

• use copyrighted work for commercial purposes

• use copyrighted work without attributing the author. (Education World, 2015)