Copyright Guide: Course & Class Materials

Using Copyrighted Materials for Instructional Purposes

Using short excerpts of copyright protected materials (eg. books, journal articles, etc.) in course materials is permitted within fair dealing:

Using Fair Dealing Copies

Copies may be:

• Posted to Moodle courses (confirm licende for library e-resources)
• Emailed (or handed out) to students enrolled in the course
• Included in course packs without requiring permissions
  • Materials for course packs are assessed for copyright clearance requirements by the Mount Allison Bookstore 
• Incorporated into lectures and presentations (eg. slides) 

Using Copyrighted Content in Instructional Materials

Print Sources

• Fair dealing permits making copies or scans of short excerpts of copyright protected materials for educational purposes
  • EXCEPTION: Consumables (eg. workbooks intended for one-time use), unless you have rights or permissions

MtA Libraries' E-resources

• Short excerpts of library e-resources (eg. ebooks, ejournals) can usually be printed or saved
• NOTE: E-resource licences override copyright 
  • For example, some e-resource licenses do not permit posting a PDF to Moodle
    • Contact nbsam@mta.ca to confirm e-resource licences     
    • See E-resource linking 

Works Available on the Internet

• You may copy any Internet content (text, videos, audio, graphics, or anything else found online) if:
  • There is no clearly visible copyright notice posted that specifically prohibits copying for educational use
  • The content is legitimately posted (you have no reason to believe that it is online without the consent of the copyright owner)
  • There is no password protection or other restricted access to the content

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Copies

ILL copy requests must meet fair dealing in order to be processed. Except for e-reserves and adding to Moodle these copies can be used the same as copies from print sources. Contact nbsam@mta.ca to check      

In all copying the source should be cited (including URL and the author/creator, if available)

Using Copyrighted Materials in the Classroom 

Using copyright protected media for educational purposes permitted under fair dealing

Playing and Streaming Movies  

• Films or works must be legally obtained, with no digital locks needing circumvention to access the film or work 
  • Works that are infringing copies (eg. torrent downloads) are not permitted 
• Works available through the Internet, (eg. YouTube videos) can be shown

Exceptions:

• If the work is protected by digital locks preventing their performance 
• If a clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use is posted on the website or on the work itself 
• If there is reason to believe the work on the Internet is in violation of the copyright owner’s rights 
• Television news programs and news commentaries may be copied by educational institutions (or those acting under their authority) for in class viewing

Playing and Streaming Music  

• Sound recording or live radio broadcasts may be played in class when it is for educational purposes, on University premises, before an audience consisting primarily of students. 

* Using music for non-educational purposes such as background music at a conference or in an athletic facility requires a license. Obtain permissions from the copyright collectives the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN)  and Re:Sound 

Adding Copyrighted Materials to Course Reserves 

Physical Course Reserves Can Include:

• Items from the Libraries’ physical collections, such as books and AV materials
  • No copyright clearance required
• Personal copies of books and AV items
  •  No copyright clearance required, however items must be official purchased copies, not off-air tapings, ripped, bootleg, etc.  
• Photocopies of an article or book chapter from library print sources
  • These must be within fair dealing guidelines or be cleared for copyright
• Materials where the instructor holds copyright (e.g. lecture notes)

E-reserves Linked in Moodle Can Include:

• Links to articles, ebooks and ebook chapters, and streaming content licensed for use by the MtA Library
  • See E-resource linking for how to set up stable links to library e-resources
• Links to external websites, streaming video, and audio sites
• Digitized article or book chapter scanned from print from the Library's collection
  • Must be within fair dealing guidelines or be cleared for copyright
• PDFs of content from electronic resources (eg. ejournals, databases) licensed for use by the MtA Library
  • Licenses must be checked to confirm items may be posted to Moodle 

Documents posted to Moodle must only be accessible by students enrolled in the course, unit, or program of instruction for which the excerpts have been posted and by faculty members or university staff that require access to the LMS

Entire textbooks cannot be scanned / copied for course reserves, and chapters be 'switched out' from week to week

Photocopies and PDF copies from print need to include full citation details as well as the following statement:

This copy was made pursuant to the Fair Dealing Policy of the University of which may be found at https://mta.ca/about/leadership-and-governance/policies-and-procedures/policy-5320-copyright-fair-dealing-policy The copy may only be used for the purpose of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, satire, or parody. If the copy is used for the purpose of review, criticism or news reporting, the source and the name of the author must be mentioned. The use of this copy for any other purpose may require the permission of the copyright owner.

See Course Reserves and E-resource linking for more information on setting up reserves

Including Copyrighted Materials to Course Packs

All material to be included in course packs must be confirmed as copyright compliant.

• Copies from print materials that qualify as fair dealing should not need additional copyright permissions for course packs
• Licenses may allow excerpts from the library's e-resources to be included in course packs
  • Agreements for the licensed resource need to consulted to confirm allowance
• Materials from the Internet, government publications, and unpublished works also need clearance for inclusion

Note: Copyright protected works cannot be reformatted or altered without the express permission of the copyright holder.

The MtA Bookstore handles course packs and any related copyright clearances.

Setting Up Course Packs  

Email bookstore@mta.ca with the course name and code, and provide details as appropriate for each item in your request:

• Indicate if you are seeking a print, digital, or combination course pack
• Bookstore staff will work with faculty if the desired copy does not meet fair dealing exception criteria
  • Copies that do not meet fair dealing can have clearances requested, be omitted, or possibly adjusted
    • If seeking permissions, fees, which vary, may be required 
• Once the contents are cleared and the setup is confirmed, the course pack is submitted electronically to bookstore@mta.ca or in person for finalization