According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright is “a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression." Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.
What is Fair Use?
Fair use provisions of U.S. copyright law allow use of copyrighted materials on a limited basis for specific purposes without the permission of the copyright holder.
Videos in the Classroom
Classroom Use of Videos
Public performances of a video/DVD in the face-to-face classroom is an exception to the public performance right §110 (1) and therefore lawful. The following conditions apply:
- The teaching activities are conducted by a non-profit education institution
- The performance is in connection with face-to-face teaching activities.
- The performance takes place in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction.
- The person responsible for the performance has no reason to believe that the videotape was unlawfully made.
- Films in the Classroom (PDF)
Freely Usable Images/Media
- Creative Commons – Allows you to search for media files (images, music, video) that you can use, share or edit. *See disclaimer on home page.
- Getty Images – Images that you may use online – e.g., websites, blogs, etc.
- Advanced Google Image Search – Under usage rights, select “free to use or share”
- Wikimedia – Huge collection of freely usable media files (images, sounds, videos)
- Stockvault – Free images
Lessons for Teaching Digital Citizenship