10 Tips for Avoiding the Embarrassment of Copyright Infringement

You can show a legal purchased or rented copy of a videotape, DVD, or song the classroom to meet educational objectives. The face-to-face exemption allows teachers to show videos or use complete songs long as they are used for instructional purposes (with appropriate objectives) and the teacher is in the room. They may NOT be shown for reward.

Check the copyright on music included in a presentation that will be used in a public forum. You may NOT include a popular music track from a CD as background music for your PowerPoint to show in your classroom or at a PTA meeting. This is considered a public performance and you must have the appropriate rights. Freeplaymusic.com is a great site for locating music for presentations. (Read the terms of use for details.)

Check copyright and be careful what you post on a web page. Web pages are not covered by Fair Use. Do not include anything on your web page if you don't have permission. Use sites for clip art that specifically give permission for you to use their work on web pages.

Only install software if you have a legal copy. If you have a single-user license, the software may not be installed on multiple computers. Do not make copies and share with others.

Do not use copyrighted material (images, music, videos, etc.) for entertainment or display. This includes making drawings of cartoon characters. Teachers have been prosecuted for having Disney characters on the walls.

Remember that Fair Use only covers educational use. Check the copyright before you use images or text on anything that you will sell or publish, like a T-shirt or brochure.

You may not change the format of media. For example, it is okay to download a Discovery Education Streaming video and burn to a CD, but you may not copy this video to a VHS tape.

You may not make photocopies of consumable materials. While it may be okay to photocopy certain materials (within guidelines) to use in teaching, it is not okay to photocopy consumables, such as workbooks.

Model respect of copyright for others -- students, teachers, and the public -- and respect those who must say NO. Do not ask others to support activities that break copyright law. Don't ask the office copy staff to make 100 copies of a workbook page, the librarian for a movie to show the day before winter break, or the technology specialists to install software for which you do not have a legal license.