Copyright in the Classroom

Instructors

A common myth about copyright goes something like this: "As an instructor I can do anything I want in my classroom / online course because of fair use; it's educational, so it's OK."

That is not true. Educational purposes do add favorably to a fair use balancing test, but there are limits to what is allowed under copyright law and UC policy.

You are encouraged to learn about copyright and understand how UC policy impacts the decisions you can make as an instructor.

When you need assistance in exploring options to avoid copyright concerns when sharing materials with students in the classroom or in a UCLA course management system, you are encouraged to contact us to set up an appointment with a librarian who specializes in copyright.  We will work with you, to find a way to share the materials that matter to you as an educator, in a manner that is consistent with law and policy.

Students

It is generally true that you need not worry about copyright concerns when preparing an assignment for an instructor. You can incorporate other's copyrighted works into such assignments without worry, as long as you attribute authorship properly, of course.  Remember,  properly attributing any sources you incorporate into your work is a matter of academic integrity; it is a different issue than copyright infringment.

However, if you decide to share such work with anyone besides your instructor, or in particular if you decide to distribute your work on the open web, then there may very well be copyright implications.