Understanding and applying copyright and intellectual property laws and statues is ensuring one follows the law and avoids infringement penalties. However, educators are generally covered under the Fair Use umbrella. Of course, it does not imply one can use any and all copyrighted material for educational purposes. The Fair Use statue provides four factors to determine whether in copyright violation. “The four fair use factors: 1. what is the character of the use? 2. What is the nature of the work to be used? 3. How much of the work will you use? 4. What effect would this use have on the market for the original or for permissions if the use were widespread?” (University of Texas Libraries (2001).
Another vital piece of data unfamiliar with was the Creative Common Works license for educational purpose to aid teachers collaborate and share ideas for book, lectures, and lesson plans.
Source: University of Texas Libraries (2001). Copyright crash course. Retrieved on September 3, 2011 from http://copyright.lib.utexas.edu/
