There are strict guidelines for Educational Fair Use.  These guidelines are not law, but rather an intrepretation of the law.  Teachers and students are not automatically exempt from United States Copyright Law. 

Four criteria make up fair use:

1. Purpose of the use (commercial or non-commercial)
2. Nature of the work (fiction or nonfiction)
3. Amount and substantiality of work used
4. Effect of use upon the potential market or value of work

The following guidelines are in place to get a general idea of what is acceptable for teachers and students.

Copyright Compliance Checklist

  __ Project is for educational use.

  __ Sources are credited publicly in project: Author, title, publisher, place and date of publication. (Use Webster's Works Cited Format.)

  __ Stated on opening screen: "Certain materials are included under the fair use exemption of the U.S. Copyright Law and have been prepared according to the multimedia fair use guidelines.  They are restricted from further use."

  __ Project is not replicated or distributed for any purpose.

  __ A copy of the project can be kept by the student forever, for use in a portfolio of academic work.

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  MOTION PICTURE = 3 minutes, or 10%, whichever is less

  MUSIC (audio) = 30 seconds, or 10%, whichever is less

  PHOTOGRAPHS = 5 by one person, and no more than 15 images or 10%, whichever is less, of the photographs or illustrations from a single published work

  TEXT = 1000 words, or 10%, whichever is less

Ask your library teacher if you have questions!  J

Copyright Bookmark for Students (doc file - 28kb)

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