Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
There are some situations that allow you to use content without asking permission first.
Is a concept in U.S. copyright law that supports the use of copyrighted materials without permission of the rightsholder, in some circumstances. There are four factors to be considered when analyzing whether or not your use would be considered fair use:
Purpose and character of the use
Nature of the original copyrighted work
Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
Effect of the use on the potential market or value of the copyrighted work
This fair use checklist from Grand Valley State University, is intended to be a guide to assist you in determining if your use leans more towards or away from fair use. Each factor should be considered equally.
This fair use checklist is a kind of a pathway to guide your thinking as you analyze your specific situation.
Are the rights to show a film in a public setting, outside of a classroom of enrolled students, or outside of one's home. The rights may be held by the copyright holder, the distributor or licensing agencies. Frequently this involves paying a licensing fee. Sometimes you may have to contact multiple entities to track it down.
If non-enrolled students are present during a classroom showing, public performance rights must be obtained.
Creative works that are not covered by copyright law or other intellectual property laws such as trademark or patent. They are owned by the public. There are four common ways this can happen:
the copyright has expired
the copyright owner failed to follow copyright renewal rules
the copyright owner deliberately placed the creative work into the public domain
copyright law does not protect this type of work, for example:
Ideas, methods and systems
Names, titles, short phrases
Typeface, fonts and lettering
Layout and design
Blank forms
Familiar symbols and designs
A type of licensing that enables the copyright holder to retain the copyright, but also choose a license that specifies how the public can use that creative work without asking permission. Currently there are six different licenses.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission. The SCC Library has a guide to OER materials.
