Is there anything that will explain copyright in plain English?

An excellent website that covers nearly every angle of copyright is Adventures of the American Mind.  A series of videos at this site is particularly informative, useful, and easy to understand.  The site is geared toward high schools, but the rules are the same.  (Each video tends to take a long time to load -- be patient, it's worth the wait.)

AIMS: What are the guidelines for posting digital materials withing AIMS?

See the discussion in Policy and Guidelines for information on posting materials to AIMS.
 

Access Medicine and Access Pharmacy: Can I place images from Access Medicine and Access Pharmacy in my Powerpoint presentations to be shown in the classroom?

Yes.  McGraw-Hill, the publishers of the Access Medicine and Access Pharmacy, allows faculty to use [these database] images for educational purposes.  According to their Image Usage Guidelines, "Access Medicine and [Access Pharmacy] users may display, download, or print out images associated with the site for personal and educational use only.  Educational use refers to classroom teaching, lectures, presentations, rounds, and other instructional activities, such as displaying, linking to, downloading, printing and distributing multiple copies of said isolated materials in both print and electronic format." 
 

New England Journal of Medicine: Can the online videos in THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDCINE be used for instructional purpose during a class at NEOUCOM. 

Yes, NEOUCOM has a subscription to the online version of The New England Journal of Medicine through EbscoHost.  Faculty on campus may freely use and display [the videos] for educational purposes.  According to the copyright representative for the publisher:

"Professors may show the procedural videos during classes that they teach at the university.  Links to the videos may also be placed on university websites to allow students direct access to the specific videos."  [These links should be on the intranet and accessible to NEOUCOM registered library users only.]

The New England Journal of Medicine is available through from the library's online catalog through EbscoHost.  There is a three month embargo on the current issues.  For a complete statement on permissions see NEJM Terms of Agreement and EbscoHost Licensing Agreement.  Section 2 of the NEJM Terms of Agreement states:

2. Copyright Ownership and Permitted Use. Unless otherwise stated, the materials available at NEJM Online are the property of MMS and are protected under United States and international copyright laws and conventions. Except as otherwise provided by United States copyright law, materials from NEJM Online may be viewed, reproduced, or stored for private, noncommercial purposes only.

For information on obtaining permission to copy beyond that permitted by these Terms and Conditions, or United States copyright law, please refer to MMS copyright information.

Images MD: Where is images.MD?

NEOUCOM's subscription to images MD ceased in January 2010.  If you used images from the database in 2009 or earlier, you may maintain those images in your presentation for the remainder of this school year: 2009/2010.  If you linked to images from your presentations, those links will no longer work.  Any questions about the cancellation of images MD should be addressed to Lisa Plymale, Head Collection Management Services ((330)325-6621, lma@neoucom.edu).

OhioLINK Resources: What are the rules for using OhioLINK Resources?

Electronic Books

The contents of the OhioLINK Electronic Book Center (EBC) are available for individual educational and research purposes. These electronic books are purchased by Ohio college and university libraries and are under copyright protection. Texts may be printed out or saved for teaching or research, providing that the rights of original copyright holders are not infringed. Any commercial use of EBC content requires permission from the content provider.

For complete information of OhioLINK's e-book policy go to https://www.ohiolink.edu/ostaff/ebchelp/AUP.html .

Electronic Journals

Authorized Use

1.    This database is available for individual educational and research purposes.

2.    You may search this database and view the results of your searches on screen.

3.    You may print a copy of any record retrieved as a result of your search.

4.    Generally, you may store on floppy disk or hard drive any record retrieved as part of your search, and later display it on screen or print it on paper.

Allowed uses of the Electronic Journal Center

1.    Reserves: There are no restrictions within authorized uses on the storage and printing of articles among authorized users. Placement in local electronic reserve files and bookmarking from course web sites is allowed.

2.    Course Packs: Inclusion of electronically-based articles in locally distributed print course packs is allowed.

3.    Sharing with non-authorized users: Non-systematic sharing of articles by authorized users with non-authorized users is allowed.

For a complete description of OhioLINK's EJC policy, go to http://journals.ohiolink.edu/ejc/aup.cgi .
 

I teach the same course every year.  May I distribute handouts containing copies of journal articles and other published materials every year if I ask the students to return them at the end of the course?

Fair Use guidelines state the following prohibitions regarding the use of copied materials: 

1.    Copying shall not be repeated with respect to the same item by the same teacher from term to term [i.e., repetitive use in the same course, regardless of the frequency of the course].

2.    Copying shall not substitute for the purchase of books, publishers' reprints or journals.

If the same materials are to be used each term, the instructor should request permission to use the materials from the owners of the materials each term.  Some publishers may grant permission for multiple uses over multiple terms, but most publishers grant permissions for only single terms.  Since the instructor knows the material will be used in future classes, there should be ample time for permission to be requested prior to the beginning of each course offering.

Can I copyright my course lectures?

Class lectures cannot be copyrighted unless they are in a fixed format that will only change as new information is added.  While lecture notes can be copyrighted, the class presentation and discussion that builds around these notes cannot be copyrighted.

 

Can I claim ownership to materials I have created?

Course instructors and other academic appointees own the material to most scholarly works created by them in the course of teaching and research.  These works typically include books, journal articles, lecture notes, course syllabi, computer code, CD-ROMSs, works of art, and performances created solely by them for independent academic effort.  Such materials can be taken by the creator to other places of employment and used by the creator in the new setting.

What types of publications are considered to be the property of the university and not my property?

• Sponsored works are works that were first produced in the performance of a written agreement between the university and a sponsor.  Even if you were a primary contributor to the work, the work belongs to the university and cannot be used by you without permission of the university.
• Commissioned works are works that were specifically commissioned by the university from outside sources or from employees who are taking part in the creation of the work above and beyond their regular university employment.
• Contracted facilities works are works that produced by non-university or university employees who are acting outside the course and scope of their employment but who are using designated university facilities.

Can I freely use information in books, journals, etc. that I have written?

You can use materials you have authored only if you have contracted with the publisher to retain your ownership of the materials.  Many authors make the mistake of giving full rights to their materials to the publisher.  If you have occasion to use/reference your published work, and if the publisher has obtained full ownership of that material, you must submit a request for permission to use the material to the publisher.

Do publishers normally charge for using their materials?

Some publishers charge the requestor to use their copyrighted materials, others do not.  The cost charged by the publisher will be determined at the time the request for use is submitted. 

If I obtain permission from a publisher to reproduce a chapter, article, or image, is it acceptable to charge the students for this material?

Fair Use guidelines state that no charge shall be made to the student beyond the actual cost charged by the owner for permitting use of the material and the cost of photocopying.

 

I would like to use some images that I found on the web.  Can I use them without worrying about copyright?

No, you must follow the same rules as you would for using information from a book, movie, journal, or any other resource.  Fair Use applies to Internet resources just as it does to all other media.

In education, there are many Internet materials that could be used as teaching aids for a class or for an application in research. But it is not always possible or economically feasible to get or pay for permission. If you qualify for using materials without permission under the TEACH Act, then you also can use online materials in a face-to-face classroom setting. If you are concerned about using TEACH procedures—as are many universities—there is always Fair Use. Most of the Fair Use factors that apply to printed media also apply to the Internet, with the exception of posting materials on the Internet. This will, in most instances, disqualify you from Fair Use by itself. You must get permission to post other people's work on the World Wide Web. Posting anything on the World Wide Web is the same as publishing or distributing it worldwide, and publishing and distributing is the most revered of the exclusive rights of copyright holders. Why would anyone buy a book at a store if you could simply download it from a Web site? The best way to qualify for Fair Use when you want to post other people's work online is to use a password-protected Web site where only the students enrolled in a class may view the copy. You should also take technological steps to prevent students from copying the materials, such as using a streaming process.  [This information was taken from Washington State University's Internet and Copyright page.]