Copyright Basics for Faculty

Purpose:

All course developers at UMass Global must follow educational fair use guidelines and copyright law when sharing and disseminating copyrighted resources. The purpose of this guide is to provide faculty, staff, and students at University of Massachusetts Global with an understanding of:

1. Copyright law
2. Fair use
3. Plagiarism
4. The use of copyrighted material

Note: This site serves as a guide but is not comprehensive. For more detailed information contact a librarian or the refer to the U.S. Copyright Office (www.copyright.gov). Circular 1 Copyright Basics

Page Contents:

• Copyright Introduction
• UMass Global's Course Development, Maintenance & Adjunct Review Manual

What is Copyright?

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 Copyright covers both published and unpublished works."

"Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does NOT protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed."

Review the full text of U.S. copyright law in Title 17 of United States Code (Copyright Law of the United States). 

Best Practices:

When sharing material for courses, consider the following best practices: t

1. Use only as much of a work as is needed in compliance with the Fair Use exception to copyright law to meet your educational objectives, unless you obtain a license or written permission to use more. When you must share copies of material directly, first read these Fair Use guidelines to help determine whether you are sharing material legally. Before sharing, also consider these best practices:
2. The best way to avoid copyright violation of course materials is to have students find and obtain their own legal copies of reading and research material, whether they purchase a copy or access one that is available in the library, in the public domain, or as an open access item on the Internet. More on how to share copies of material legally is described in Resource Sharing Best Practices. 
3. Whenever possible, you should provide only a link to a legal copy. Instructions for how to find stable links can be found at How to Link to Library Resources.
4. You can request the library to consider purchasing materials you need and adding them to the library's collection. The library may be able to purchase unlimited-user copies that will ensure legal access for you and your students.

UMass Global's Course Development, Maintenance & Adjunct Review Manual 2023

Following is the text of "Appendix A Copyright & Fair Use Laws" of UMass Global's Course Development, Maintenance & Adjunct Review Manual 2023: