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How to avoid copyright pitfalls
Sec. 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 allows the fair use of a copyrighted work for criticism, comment, news reporting or teaching. Multiple copies of brief works may be made for classroom use if there is a short time lapse between deciding to use and actually using the copies. Federal guidelines allow teachers to make single copies for a class or for scholarly research. The following is a guideline summary.
Material that may be copied
- Articles from newspapers or periodicals
- Chapters from books
- Complete poems if fewer than 250 words and printed on two sides or less
- Articles, stories or essays of fewer than 2,500 words
- One chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture from a book, periodical or newspaper
Material that may not be copied
- Identical material for more than one course
- More than one short poem, article, story or essay
- More than two excerpts from the same author, or more than three from the same collective work
- “Consumable” material, such as workbooks, exercises, standardized tests, answer sheets, etc.
- The same material from term to term
Questions?
Thank you for consulting our site for up-to-date information about the array of legal issues facing Texas public school teachers and related nonadministrative personnel. For further information of a general nature pertaining to these legal issues, TCTA members may submit general questions directly to our legal staff using our Ask-A-Lawyer form. Should you be a TCTA member with a specific legal problem, please contact TCTA headquarters at (888) 879-8282 (a toll-free call in Texas) to speak by telephone with a staff attorney.
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All information on the TCTA Web site is for general purposes only. It is not directed toward any individual or specific case, is not intended to replace the advice of an attorney, and does not create an attorney/client relationship. Please read the Full Disclaimer for important details.
