Copying material

[Phil]

Can somebody clarify this for me:

I am a teacher, and I want to copy copyright material for use in the classroom. Somebody told me once of a few ways of doing this legally, but I can't remember them exactly. I have a vague recollection that if something is used as a test, it's ok - of course that raises the question of what constitutes a test, but that's another story.

Any ideas about how I can go about this would be gratefully received.
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Phil

[Sherif]

I thought teachers could copy pretty much anything as long as it was justified and for educational use.

[CopyrightAid]

This is covered under 'fair dealing' rules in the UK.

Provided you are using it for educational purposes only within an educational establishment, (not a commercial venture), and you only copy what is needed for your purposes, you should be fine.

The 1988 Copyright Designs and Patent act has this to say:

32.-(1) Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is not infringed by its being copied in the course of instruction or of preparation for instruction, provided the copying -
(a) is done by a person giving or receiving instruction,
(b) is not done by means of a reprographic process, and
(c) is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgment,
and provided that the instruction is for a non-commercial purpose.

For more details look up Section 32 of the act.



This is UK law, ( sorry Phil, I don't know where you are from), but I believe most countries have similar rules. I think it's called 'fair use' rather than fair dealing in the US.

[Phil]

Thanks a lot for this.

Yes, I'm in the UK.

By "reprographic" means, I assume this means no photocopying or scanning. So typing it in yourself is ok?

Also, how do we define "is done by a person giving or receiving instruction"? Does this mean that a teacher in charge of coordinating materials (who will, at some stage, give instruction) can copy for all users? From a linguistic point of view, "a person" is very significant here - not "the person".

Questions like this might explain why I didn't follow my childhood plans of becoming a solicitor. Much too complicated for me...
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Phil

[CopyrightAid]

Re: Repographic. I believe that the section quoted above applies to entire works. I am sure that you can photocopy passages, (etc.), for handouts etc. I will post the relevant part of the act once I find it....

[CopyrightAid]

Here we go: