Copyright Presentation:

Video
By: Lisa Flicker
Copyright Rules and
How it Relates to Educators

According to the governments definition of copyright, and Title 17 of the U.S. Code,
copyright protects original works of authorship. This may include, but does not have to
be limited to, literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, movies, songs, computer software,
and architecture. It covers both published and unpublished pieces. As a type of
intellectual property law, it is also protected under the laws of the United States
Constitution.

According to the Copyright Society (2007) website, which is geared for students and
teachers, it states that if you are found guilty of infringing upon the copyright rules of
another, than you can be sued with possible monetary damages and/or face possible
criminal charges.

As role models for our students, teachers should inform their own students about
copyright laws and model these laws through example!
Exceptions to Copyright Law

However, not everything is protected under copyright laws. Some examples could be ideas,
phrases, a standard calendar, slogans, concepts, or discoveries.

Teachers and non-profit school settings are among some of these groups that fall within the
parameters of also being able to use materials without getting prior permission. However, be
careful to go over specific rules regarding each type of item you are looking to utilize in your
classroom.

When utilizing the exceptions within the educational setting, teachers are allowed to show
videos, as long as not illegitimate copies, or copies of original artworks so that students can act
out plays, or that famous poems may be read in class, or passages from great novels can be
acted out. There are so many doors that are opened due to this.

Furthermore, there is another exception, and that is in regard to the virtual classroom, but this
will be discussed, and in greater depth, in the next slide.
Copyright and Virtual Instruction

In regard to the virtual classroom, I found it interesting that here we are, in this
virtual world, and taking virtual classes. I, therefore, wanted to apply these
exceptions and rules of copyright to videos and virtual teaching of courses.

The Purdue Library (2017) had an excellent explanation to which I will try and
give a quick summary regarding the rules for this:
As virtual classrooms need to rely on relaying video information virtually to their
students, than this transmission is allowed under the TEACH, Technology
Education and Copyright Harmonization Act. This falls under copyright laws and
ensures that students get the same quality instruction in virtual community
classrooms that they would in typical face-to-face classroom settings. Therefore,
virtual classrooms are allowed to transmit videos to students as part of the
copyright exception and without having to give payment to someone or deal with
fair use guidelines.
Fair Use as it Relates to Copyright and
Educators

There are some other exceptions to the copyright law that allow teachers to use
certain published materials for educational use in classrooms and to do so without
following copyright criteria. This would fall under the Fair Use guidelines.
According to the Copyright Clearance Center website, Fair Use is defined as the
use of intellectual property, and copyright protected work, for commentary,
parody, news reporting, research and education (2017).

However, it is interesting to note, that in the United States, government works

are considered public domain and can be utilized as needed, and not under
copyright laws. This is not the case in every country and if you find yourself
teaching in a different one, or using material from another country, please make
sure you become familiar with their copyright laws.
Obtaining Permission for Video Use

If you are unsure on whether you are in violation of possible copyright

infringement, it is better to cover all your bases by obtaining a permission
to use a video film or clip form. I am including addresses for some of the
larger companies for your use:
Columbia Pictures Dreamworks Pictures Universal Pictures Warner Bros.
10202 West 100 Universal City 100 Universal City 4000 Warner Boulevard
Washington Boulevard Plaza, Building 477 Plaza Burbank, CA 91522
Culver City, CA 90232 Universal City, CA Universal City, CA
91608 91608
ABC News NBC News CBS News Nickelodeon
147 Columbus Avenue 30 Rockefeller Plaza 524 West 57th Street 1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10023 New York, NY 10112 New York, NY 10019 New York, NY 10036
Copyright Lessons for Teachers

As with anything we do, reinventing the wheel is not something we love!

Therefore, if you are interesting in delving into a lesson or two on
copyright with your students, I found a great site that can help with this.
It has games, addresses to write for permission (and the site I went to for
obtaining the list of addresses I included for you in here), copyright
basics, and information on how to copyright your own work. As with
anything, it may not be 100% accurate, so use you best judgement. This
could be an excellent source for possible language arts writing lessons or
social studies research connections.

Link: Copyright For Kids: http://www.copyrightkids.org/index.htm

Copyright Scenarios for Video Use in
Education
I would like to share with you some possible scenarios that you may
encounter in regard to videos and copyright issues within your own teaching
environment. The first scenario that I would like to give is one that relates
around something called Creative Commons. If you happen to come upon a
video that has a Creative Commons logo, which includes two Cs inside a
circle, next to the words, Creative Commons, you have just reached
something that does not require payment, permission requests, or
consideration to fair use policy. Creative Common is both a movement and
an organization that allows authors of material to pre-authorize, or
proactively make available their work within specific guidelines. (Purdue,
2017)
 Copyright Scenarios for Video Use in
Education
The second scenario I would like to share with you is in regard to the ability to
show videos or movies that fall under the designation of public domain. This means
that they are intellectual property but that no person, government, or organization
has any proprietary interest such as a copyright to them. Mostly, this was brought
about due to copyright renewals not being renewed properly, or even at all.

If you happen to come across and want to use a video that falls under this
designation, than you are able to show this type of media freely. However, there
are always loopholes. For example, if the video comes from another country, their
rules may be different. Or, as in the case of Its a Wonderful Life, a production
company acquired the rights to the soundtrack even though the movie was under
public domain, therefore making it impossible to freely show the movie without
permission. These are rare cases, but can happen, and typically can only with a
multi-layer work. (Stanford Library, 2017)
 Copyright Scenarios for Video Use in
Education

The final scenario I would like to share with you is in regard to teachers
and their right to record a television show and show it to their students.

Teacher are allowed to record a broadcast television show, such as one

shown on ABC, however they need to show it within 10 days. PBS, allows
for a little more leeway as with their show Reading Rainbow. However, if a
teacher records a program on a cable station, they are not covered by the
same guidelines and are a bit more flexible. If the teacher has bought a
whole series of a show, then it is theirs to show, but recordings fall under a
different category. (Xavier University, 2008)
Summary

Copyright rules and regulations not only protect the authors of the material
you are looking to utilize in your classroom but protect you, the educator,
when using them.

Understanding these guidelines and following them will enable you to do your
job efficiently and provide an excellent example for your own students on
how they should be utilizing copyright procedures and practices in their own
lives.

In conclusion, video is an excellent tool to utilize in our classrooms. When we

use this tool properly, and give credit where it is due, it enables students the
ability to have another layer of learning that can be added to their repertoire
of resources.
References:

Copyright for Kids: http://www.copyrightkids.org/index.htm

Copyright.gov: https://www.copyright.gov/
Copyright in General: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-
general.html
Purdue University:
https://www.lib.purdue.edu/uco/ForInstructors/virtual.html
Stanford University: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/
University of Minnesota: https://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright
Xavier University:
http://www.xavier.edu/library/about/documents/copyright_9-23-08.pdf