Reyna Vaca

Professor Wolfe

ETEC 424-01W

July 23, 2020

The Impact of Copyright and Fair Use on Education

Copyright, and fair use, in my opinion are very similar to plagiarism, and therefore,

require extreme caution and awareness. These practices are all engaged in some kind of

plagiarism and can involve legal action against the perpetrator.

According to Harvard’s Office of the General Counsel, “copyright is the lawful right of

an author, artist, composer or other creator to control the use of his or her work by others”

(Harvard, 2020). This means that anyone using or planning to use copyrighted material should

obtain written permission from the creator, author, and or artist to be able to use their material.

Oftentimes, school personnel unintentionally commit copyright infringement. With schools

running so many copies and “killing” so many trees it is possible that material gets copied

without obtaining written permission from the author. School districts are liable for copyright

violations. In 2019, the Houston School District paid over $9.2 million in a copyright

infringement case (Cox, 2019). This is why it is important to always double check before making

copies! Also, always remember that all works are protected by copyright immediately after being

created.

Fair use is also another form of copying or of plagiarism. Educators often believe that fair

use is completely acceptable if it is used for instructional purposes (Starr, 2010). However, this is

not right nor acceptable! Fair use does not mean we can copy everything or the entire book or

article. When copying material we should always keep in mind that by doing so, we are not
creating a financial loss to the author or creator of the book or article. Anything used under fair

use should NOT be used for commercial purposes! It should not be completely copied either;

always keep it minimal by only using the parts that reflect the concept you are trying to teach,

and always, always give credit to the creator or author. Teach students about copyright and fair

use so they too will acquire knowledge in reference to this subject.

References:

Copyright and Fair Use. (n.d.). Retrieved July 23, 2020, from

https://ogc.harvard.edu/pages/copyright-and-fair-use

Starr, L. (2010, May 25). The Educator’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use. Retrieved July 23,

2020, from http://chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/links/pdf/chapter7/7.3b.pdf

Cox, K. (2019, June 06). Houston School District Ordered To Pay $9.2 Million In Copyright

Infringement Case. Retrieved from https://abovethelaw.com/2019/06/houston-school-

district-ordered-to-pay-9-2-million-in-copyright-infringement-case/

Responses:

Response to Serena Johnson

Hello Serena!

Posting what is allowed in the classroom is a great way for us to remember what we can and

cannot display! I was impressed about the TEACH Act, you did great adding it to your slides! It

is good to keep that in mind, especially now with so many students taking online courses. Good

job of copyright and fair use explanation!

Reyna

Response to Melissa Albright

Melissa,

Determining all the factors about fair use can be complicated, as you mentioned in one of your

slides. On another slide you talked about "not all non-profit educational uses are fair" (Albright,

2020). This is very true! As educators we have to be very precise on how we will use fair use as

well as be aware of all laws that can potentially affect others. Good job!

Reyna