A Question of Copyright...

I got this email this morning, and asked Judy our copyright expert to answer it. It seems good to highlight it here...

The instructors in our department have an on-going discussion (debate?) about legal use of videos in our classrooms. Is there a Government or Library website, or do you have postings that can give the "final word" here? Areas include:
1. Videos we own
2. Material taped off the T.V.
3. Items rented or borrowed from:
a. commercial vendors
b. libraries

Also, does length matter, i.e., may short portions of a video be shown in the same way short sections of a book may be copied?

Any help you can give would be most appreciated.

Thank you,
-- --
Adjunct Instructor



***

Here is the answer to your video question. I am quoting from Statute
110(1) Classroom Performances & Displays of the Copyright Act.

"performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the
course of face-to-face teaching activities of a nonprofit institution,
in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless in the
case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or
the display of individual images, is given by means of a copy that was
not lawfully made under this title, and that the person responsible for
the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made;"

In a nutshell, you can show the full video in a classroom as long as it
is a legal copy.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

It is on page 24 of the document.

If you have any question, just email me at jbastin@butlercc.edu.
Micaela calls me a copyright expert. I don't claim to be an expert, but
I do have a growing understanding of copyright law.

Judy Bastin

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Judy Bastin
Reference Librarian
L.W. Nixon Library
Butler County Community College
901 S. Haverhill Rd
El Dorado, KS 67042
316.323.6843