Frequently Asked Questions: Copyright Law and the School Library / Classroom
1) Q: I am a public school teacher. For a poetry unit, I want to display famous published poems in my room so that I can refer to them. Am I permitted to retype them in a Google Doc, print, and display them as long as I ensure the author’s name is listed on them as well?
A: Yes. Per Chapter 1, Section 110 of U.S. Copyright Law, educators and students in a public school may display copyrighted work in a classroom as long as it is utilized or related to direct instruction.
2) Q: I am building a class website to keep parents informed of weekly plans. It is not password protected, so it is viewable by the general public. I have found an image through DestinyQuest that I’d like to include as the header; it is not specifically labeled as fair use, and I can’t find an owner of the image. Can I use this picture on my website?
A: No. Because your website is open to the public and the photograph is not labeled as fair use, you cannot use it without the owner’s express permission, according to Ronnie Blurt, writer for The Edublogger (theedublogger.com.copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/).
3) Q: My library only has one copy of the movie The Great Gatsby and frequently, it’s in use by another teacher. I bought my own copy on Amazon.com. Is it a violation of copyright law if I show it to my class?
A: No. As long as you are playing it in a live classroom (not an online class forum) and you are using it for educational purposes, you are not violating the Public Performance Rights clause of Chapter 1, Section 110. The key here is educational purposes; for example, it is questionable whether showing the movie purely for entertainment purposes (i.e. during finals week) meets this requirement.
4) Q: My school does not have enough math textbooks for our larger-than-average class this year. May I photocopy the book that is maintained in the library to make a paper version for the students who do not have textbooks?
A: No. While it is not a violation of copyright law to photocopy small portions for an individual lesson, the photocopying of an entire textbook is prohibited by copyright law, according to Attorney Jenny Tsay on Findlaw.com (https://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life /2014/08/is-it-legal-to-photocopy-textbooks.html).
5) Q: My students are completing individual projects for novels they have chosen to read from our school library. One girl, who is reading Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, wants to write a satire of the novel in the form of a short story that pokes fun at it. Is she allowed to do this?
A: Yes. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Section 107, governing fair use, the use of a work for criticism (which encompasses satire) is permitted.
6) Q: I’m responsible for decorating a bulletin board in the main hallway, and I would like to scan in the front cover of the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio, enlarge it, and print it to post on the board. Does this violate Copyright Law?
A: Yes. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Chapter 1, Section 110, visual depictions of copyrighted words cannot be used for decorative purposes without the owner’s consent.
7) Q: I found a chart in an issue of Newsweek in the library that would be very useful for a unit I teach every year. Can I make a copy of it to add to my unit materials?
A: No. According to the Stewart Library website (https://library.weber.edu/utl/pp/copyright_ fair_use_reserve), the spontaneity element of Fair Use would be violated here, because you would have the time to secure the owner’s permission prior to use. If the need for the chart is immediate and for a single use, you are not violating copyright law.
8) Q: I’m using the library’s audio CD copy of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to supplement reading in my English class. I’ve downloaded the files off the CD. Can I post them to my Google Classroom so students can use them if they miss class?
A: No. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Section 10, Chapter 1002, you should not have downloaded the files to your computer to begin with, and sharing them further continues to violate the law.
A: Yes. Per Chapter 1, Section 110 of U.S. Copyright Law, educators and students in a public school may display copyrighted work in a classroom as long as it is utilized or related to direct instruction.
2) Q: I am building a class website to keep parents informed of weekly plans. It is not password protected, so it is viewable by the general public. I have found an image through DestinyQuest that I’d like to include as the header; it is not specifically labeled as fair use, and I can’t find an owner of the image. Can I use this picture on my website?
A: No. Because your website is open to the public and the photograph is not labeled as fair use, you cannot use it without the owner’s express permission, according to Ronnie Blurt, writer for The Edublogger (theedublogger.com.copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/).
3) Q: My library only has one copy of the movie The Great Gatsby and frequently, it’s in use by another teacher. I bought my own copy on Amazon.com. Is it a violation of copyright law if I show it to my class?
A: No. As long as you are playing it in a live classroom (not an online class forum) and you are using it for educational purposes, you are not violating the Public Performance Rights clause of Chapter 1, Section 110. The key here is educational purposes; for example, it is questionable whether showing the movie purely for entertainment purposes (i.e. during finals week) meets this requirement.
4) Q: My school does not have enough math textbooks for our larger-than-average class this year. May I photocopy the book that is maintained in the library to make a paper version for the students who do not have textbooks?
A: No. While it is not a violation of copyright law to photocopy small portions for an individual lesson, the photocopying of an entire textbook is prohibited by copyright law, according to Attorney Jenny Tsay on Findlaw.com (https://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life /2014/08/is-it-legal-to-photocopy-textbooks.html).
5) Q: My students are completing individual projects for novels they have chosen to read from our school library. One girl, who is reading Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, wants to write a satire of the novel in the form of a short story that pokes fun at it. Is she allowed to do this?
A: Yes. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Section 107, governing fair use, the use of a work for criticism (which encompasses satire) is permitted.
6) Q: I’m responsible for decorating a bulletin board in the main hallway, and I would like to scan in the front cover of the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio, enlarge it, and print it to post on the board. Does this violate Copyright Law?
A: Yes. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Chapter 1, Section 110, visual depictions of copyrighted words cannot be used for decorative purposes without the owner’s consent.
7) Q: I found a chart in an issue of Newsweek in the library that would be very useful for a unit I teach every year. Can I make a copy of it to add to my unit materials?
A: No. According to the Stewart Library website (https://library.weber.edu/utl/pp/copyright_ fair_use_reserve), the spontaneity element of Fair Use would be violated here, because you would have the time to secure the owner’s permission prior to use. If the need for the chart is immediate and for a single use, you are not violating copyright law.
8) Q: I’m using the library’s audio CD copy of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to supplement reading in my English class. I’ve downloaded the files off the CD. Can I post them to my Google Classroom so students can use them if they miss class?
A: No. According to U.S. Copyright Law, Section 10, Chapter 1002, you should not have downloaded the files to your computer to begin with, and sharing them further continues to violate the law.