Copyright and Fair Use are difficult and ever changing topics. Use the links on the above tabs to learn more about each. For additional information and other useful links and tools, click on the Resources link on the menu at left.

Newton Public Schools Copyright Policy pdf
NPS Web Publishing Policy pdf
NPS Acceptable Use Policies pdf

Kid friendly sites:

Copyright Kids http://www.copyrightkids.org/
Includes copyright basics & FAQs, definitions, a copyright challenge quiz & more.

Copyright with Cyberbee http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
Interactive questions and answers about copyright, basic information and links to other copyright sites.

Copyright Mystery http://www.loc.gov/teachers/copyrightmystery/
Cartoon featuring Cop E. Wright teaches the basics of copyright law, shows a timeline of copyright milestones, and explains how
to register a copyright.

Educator sites:


ALA | Copyright http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/copyright/index.cfm
Discussion of issues and advocacy related to copyright.

ALA Copyright/ District Dispatch http://www.districtdispatch.org/?cat=9
Official blog of the American Library Association Washington office

ALA Digital Copyright Slider http://librarycopyright.net/resources/digitalslider/
Interactive tool from ALA that shows when and if material is copyrighted in the U.S. or has moved to Public Domain.

Campus Guide to Copyright Compliance http://www.copyright.com/Services/copyrightoncampus/
Copyright Clearance Center. Geared towards college level but with good resources for basic copyright and fair use information.


Copyright Advisory Network: Resources http://librarycopyright.net/resources/
From ALA Office of Information Technology Policy. Online tools for Fair Use, Copyright.

Copyright Law Information and Resources for Educators and Librarians! http://beckercopyright.com/
Q & A section with accompanying videos is very useful

Distance Education and the TEACH Act
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=distanceed&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=25939
TEACH (Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act) Act History and information from ALA

eduwikius >> Copyright http://eduwikius.wikispaces.com/Copyright
Brief guidelines about copyright and Fair Use.

PBS Teachers - Copyright and Fair Use http://www.pbs.org/teachers/copyright/
This section is a reference guide for educators who use PBS television programming and multimedia in the classroom.


College and University sites:

Although the following sites are targeted towards college and university educators and students, they contain useful information in clear formats for K-12 educators as well.

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
Chart gives clear and brief information about when and for how long various types of works are protected by copyright.

Stanford Copyright and Fair Use - Fair use http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html

Government sites:

U.S. Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/
U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright Law : Chapter 1 http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html

U.S. Copyright Office – Information Circulars, Fact sheets, and Flyers http://www.copyright.gov/circs/
Download (text and/or pdf) dozens of circulars and fact sheets providing basic information about copyright

Digital Millennium Copyright Act H.T. 2281 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:h.r.2281.enr:
DMCA was passed by Congress and signed into law on October 28, 1998 and became P.L. 105-304.

Learning Page-Getting Started: Copyright http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/start/cpyrt/index.html
Library of Congress resource page includes questions and answers and classroom examples.

Fair Use information and links

Fair use allows teachers, students, and researchers the use of copyrighted materials for educational purposes when following the four fair use factors.

U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright Law: Chapter 1 Section 107 http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107
Fair use is codified at Section 107 of the Copyright Law, which gives a non-exclusive set of four factors courts will consider in deciding whether a use is fair or not.
These factors are:
1. the purpose and character of the use,
2. the nature of the copyrighted work,
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used, and
4. the effect of the use on the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

"The doctrine of fair use developed over the years as courts tried to balance the rights of copyright owners with society's interest in allowing copying in certain, limited circumstances. This doctrine has at its core a fundamental belief that not all copying should be banned, particularly in socially important endeavors such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, and research"

Tysver, Dan. Fair Use in Copyright (BitLaw). Web. 25 June2009. <http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/fair_use.html>.

When in doubt, obtain permission.
Sample Letter to the Copyright Owner Requesting Permission to Copy - Information & Library Services - UMUC
http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/copyrightletter.cfm

Educational Exemptions in the U.S. Copyright Code http://librarycopyright.net/resources/exemptions/
Interactive tool from ALA for educators which helps you determine exemptions for educators and will create a pdf from the information you input.

Fair Use Evaluator http://librarycopyright.net/resources/fairuse/
Interactive tool from ALA helps you understand and determine Fair Use.

Stanford Copyright & Fair Use - Summaries of Fair Use Cases
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/9-c.html
Brief summaries of Fair Use cases.

University of Minnesota Libraries - Copyright Initiatives. http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/fairuse.phtml
Discussion of Fair Use, Fair Use Doctrine, and Understanding the four factors of Fair Use. Includes a Fair Use analysis tool