The content of this guide is for informational purposes only. While the content is about copyright law, it does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice.
Copying for classroom use: An instructor may copy one article from a periodical and make multiple copies for distribution to the students in a class. (more) An instructor who wishes to make copies from various sources must do a fair use analysis of each excerpt. (more)
Copying for coursepacks: An instructor may make copies from various sources and distribute them as a print or electronic coursepack if the use of each excerpt complies with fair use. (more)
Copying for personal use: An instructor may make a copy of an article for later use. (more)
Posting on the web: An instructor may post a scanned copy of an article to a restricted Web page (such as a WorldClassRoom page). (more)
Sharing online journal articles: An instructor who wishes to share articles from a personal online journal subscription should check the terms of the subscription license. (more)
Copying for classroom use: An instructor who wishes to make copies from various sources must do a fair use analysis of each excerpt; for books, copying a chapter from a book generally meets fair use criteria. (more)
Copying for coursepacks: An instructor may make copies from various sources and distribute them as a print or electronic coursepack if the use of each excerpt complies with fair use. (more)
Copying out-of-print books for files: If a book is no longer in a print, an instructor may make a copy for his/her files. (more)
Quoting from published materials: An instructor may quote copyrighted materials in research if the use can be considered to be for creative, comment, or criticism purposes. (more)
Posting on the Web: An instructor can post a short portion of a book, such as a chapter, a restricted Web page (such as a WorldClassRoom page). (more)
Using media in the classroom and in online classes: An instructor may play portions or all of a CD or audio tape in the classroom. A teacher may digitize and transmit portions or all of a CD or audio tape to online students as long as it is restricted to students in the class and measures are taken to prevent storage and dissemination of the material after the class session. (more)
Playing media in a public (non-classroom) setting: An instructor may play a copyrighted audio recording in a public setting only if public performance rights have been negotiated for the work. (more)
Incorporating copyrighted media into multimedia projects: An instructor or student may incorporate portions of an audio recording into a multimedia project as part of a course as long as fair use guidelines are followed. (more)
Copying media for classroom instruction: An instructor may not make a copy of a CD or audio tape for a colleague to use in the classroom. (more)
Copying media into another format for home use: Media may not be copied into another format (e.g., LP to CD) for home use. (more)
Technical assistance for unauthorized copies of media: Webster University staff may not provide technical assistance with playing an audio recording if they know or reasonably believe that it was not lawfully made or acquired. (more)
Sharing electronic subscriptions: An instructor who has a subscription to an online journal and wishes to forward articles to colleagues should check the subscription license. Some publishers only allow transfer of hard copies to non-subscribers. (more)
Using web pages: An instructor or student may incorporate materials found on the Internet into papers, projects, coursepacks, etc., if certain guidelines are followed. Typically, it is fine to link to others' Web sites, but if excerpts from Web pages are used, one must do a fair use analysis of each excerpt. (more)
An instructor wishes to play copyrighted media from their personal streaming service, such as Netflix or iTunes, in a face-to-face classroom for instructional purposes, should consult the Electronic User License Agreement for the service and refer to U.S. Code, Title 17, Section 110 to determine whether his or her intended use falls within the fair use guidelines. (more)
Also see Copyright Law and Screening Films at Webster (requires Connections login).
The guidelines for using excerpts from textbooks are generally the same as the guidelines for using excerpts from books.
Using media in the classroom and in online classes: An instructor may show portions or all of a video or DVD in the classroom. A teacher may digitize and transmit portions or all of a video or DVD to online students as long as it is restricted to students in the class and measures are taken to prevent storage and dissemination of the material after the class session. (more)
Playing media in a public (non-classroom) setting: An instructor may play a copyrighted video recording in a public setting only if public performance rights have been negotiated for the video. (more)
Incorporating copyrighted media into multimedia projects: An instructor or student may incorporate portions of a video or DVD into a multimedia project as part of a course as long as fair use guidelines are followed. (more)
Copying media for classroom instruction: An instructor may not make a copy of a video recording for a colleague to use in the classroom. (more)
Copying media into another format for classroom instruction: Under certain circumstances, the library may make a copy of a library-owned video in a format that will play on University classroom equipment in Europe or Asia. (more)
Copying media into another format for home use: Media may not be copied into another format (e.g., VHS to DVD) for home use. (more)
Technical assistance for unauthorized copies of media: Webster University staff may not provide technical assistance with playing a video recording if they know or reasonably believe that it was not lawfully made or acquired. (more)