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Copyright

Copyright Basics

Copyright describes who is allowed to make copies of a book, article, photo, video or other work, and for which purposes an item can be copied. Each work has a copyright owner, which is often the creator or publisher of the work. The copyright owner can decide the terms on which an item could be copied; they can give or sell permission for it to be copied. However, for educational use, there is an important exception to copyright. Using a portion, generally less than 10%, of a work may be allowed for educational purposes according to the Fair Dealing exception of the Copyright Act.
(see more on fair dealing below)


What counts as a copy?

You probably make copies regularly without thinking about it. A copy can be:

  • Print to print: photocopying a document, book, photo or other work
  • Print to digital: scanning a page, taking a picture of a document or otherwise digitizing a work
  • Digital to print: printing something from the internet or a digital file
  • Digital to digital: copying a file or changing the type of file, such as changing a Word document to a PDF

 

Getting Started with Copyright

You can use “short excepts” of copyrighted material, such as: books, articles, videos, audio recordings, etc. in your work under the Fair Dealing provision as long as you also include the source and name of the creator.

Short excerpts can be:

  • Up to 10% of a copyrighted material (including written works, video or audio recordings)
  • One article from a journal publication
  • One chapter of a book
  • A complete newspaper article or a page of a newspaper
  • An artistic work from a book or collection of artworks
  • An entry from an encyclopedia
  • A poem or score from a collection

You may use the larger of these categories. For example, if you have an article that is longer than 10% of a journal publication, if is still considered a short excerpt because it is one article from a journal publication.

Yes, the Copyright Act's exceptions for fair dealing allow the use of copyrighted material for research, private study, education, parody and satire. News reporting, criticism or review also fall within the fair dealing exception, however, the source must be mentioned.

Violating copyright can have serious consequences individually or for NBCC as an institution...

 

Using Images

When using images in your work, you have 3 options:

  1. You can use a copyrighted image if you have bought the right to use it or gotten permission from the copyright owner.
  2. You can use an image with a Creative Commons license and give the creator credit for their image. You can search for Creative Commons images here: https://search.creativecommons.org/.
  3. You can use an image with an open image license from a site like: Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash. It is also helpful to add the citation details, even if not required with this type of license.
We recommend the second or third option.

 

An Example of Citing an Image

When using an image in a PowerPoint, assignment, flyer, brochure or other work, you should always include an attribution statement. In this type of citation, you should include:

  • Title of the image
  • Creator of the image
  • Source of the image (usually a link)
  • Copyright information
You can add the attribution information right under the image on a PowerPoint slide or on the work. For written assignments, you should also include citations for your images in a References or Works Cited page, if applicable.

'Australian Shepherd' 'Australian Shepherds' Aussie 'Morgan van Pelt' 'Mitch Van Pelt'
"'Australian Shepherd' 'Australian Shepherds' Aussie 'Morgan van Pelt' 'Mitch Van Pelt'" by Ted Van Pelt is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Freely-usable images
Another option for using images for educational or non-educational purposes is finding images that have licenses that allow for reproduction and editing with or without attribution. A few websites with open image licenses are: Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash. Double check their licenses for your intended use before you copy them or publish your work.

Please note: even if you are not required to add a citation with certain images, the best practice is to include it. Adding a citation with the source of the image will allow yourself and others to reuse materials without needing to verify the image licensing.

Creative Commons (CC)
Creative Commons licenses allow you to copy and reuse images as long as you add a citation. You can search the commons for images to use. The Creative Commons site also has an Attribution Guide with examples.

A simple Google Images search will often return lots of copyrighted images that you don’t have permission to use. A watermark (i.e., logo, lines or anything else superimposed over the image) usually means you do not currently have the rights to use that image. It is often safest to use graphics and images found on open license sites or from the Creative Commons.

It is always best to include the image source with an image. Even if you are not required to add attribution for certain images, the best practice is to include it. Adding a citation with the source of the image will allow yourself and others to reuse materials without needing to verify the image licensing.

It's best to use as much information as you have even if it's not complete. Note that if you don't have the creator or other details, you might not have enough information to verify that you are abiding by their copyright license.

 

Playing Videos and Music for Events and in the Classroom

Film clips are often shown in the classroom; however, depending on the video license agreements, educational or classroom use may not be allowed. Find more information about how you can determine which videos can be used in the classroom or for events.

It depends. You must ensure that the video has been uploaded to YouTube by the copyright owner, to avoid the use of copyright infringed material. If it is not posted by the copyright owner, you cannot use the video. If it is uploaded by the copyright owner - and there are no limitations on the terms of use - you can show the video in class. You can also link to or embed the video in Brightspace or a website. Do not make a copy of the video and upload it to Brightspace or anywhere else online.

Yes, section 30.04 of the Act allows you to use and share publicly available internet materials within your education circle, as long as you cite the source. However, if the material has a clearly labelled prohibition against educational use (not just a copyright symbol), if it is protected by a password or other digital lock, if you know it is available without the consent of the copyright holder, you may not use the material without permission.

 

Using Materials in your Work

It’s important to make sure none of your presentations, flyers, brochures and other materials used violate copyright. Learn more about what you can and can’t use in your work.

For assignments and educational purposes:
Yes, section 30.04 of the Act allows you and other students to use and share publicly available internet materials within your education circle, as long as you cite the source. However, if the material has a clearly labelled prohibition against educational use (not just a copyright symbol), if it is protected by a password or other digital lock, if you know it is available without the consent of the copyright holder, you may not use the material without permission.

On the job:
No, when creating presentations, flyers, brochures or other materials for work-purposes, you must adhere to copyright. Even if you work at an educational institution, the materials you create for work do not fall under fair dealing for educational use. All materials must not include any copyrighted works (or parts thereof) unless permission has been granted by the copyright holder.

In most cases, yes, if the presentation is for educational purposes. The Copyright Act's exceptions for educational institutions (section 29.4) state that:

"It is not an infringement of copyright for an educational institution or a person acting under its authority for the purposes of education or training on its premises to reproduce a work, or do any other necessary act, in order to display it," as long as there is no commercial version available that is appropriate for the use. This exception does not cover the distribution of copies of copyrighted work, in electronic or paper form. You must cite the source.

Yes. Permissions are only granted on a per-use basis.

It depends. You must ensure that the copy falls within the fair dealing parameters or have permission from the copyright owner.

No, when using articles from the library’s research databases, it is recommended to provide a link to the article instead of distributing a paper copy.

You must get permission from the copyright holder.

 

Recording Meetings, Presentations and Lectures

Recording a virtual or in-person meeting, presentation or lecture is also making a copy. Learn more about when they can be copied.

Students must ask for and get permission from the instructor, before the start of any lecture, if they wish to record that lecture.

 

Posting Materials Online

Although Brightspace is a password-protected site for students and Sharepoint is password-protected for employees, the Copyright Act and Fair Dealing still apply. Find out what the best practices are to keep content copyright compliant.

Yes. Here are a few tips:

  • Assume all works are covered by copyright if it was created by someone other than you and it is not in the public domain.
  • Post a link to the item instead of copying, downloading, uploading, and/or posting the resource. Generally, it is safer to post a link rather than a copy of the item itself – particularly if you are linking to library resources.
  • Provide complete citations whenever you copy, link or post something that contains copyrighted information.
  • Make sure you limit access if you do post copyrighted resources (i.e., on a password-protected site or app like Brightspace, Teams or Sharepoint); avoid posting on the open web.

It depends. You must ensure that the copy falls within the fair dealing parameters or have permission from the copyright owner.

No, when using articles from the library’s research databases, it is recommended to provide a link to the article instead of posting a digital copy.

You can post your own presentations or others created by NBCC faculty or staff. You can also post a link to or post a copy of any creative commons licensed presentations as long as you include a citation. If you are unsure if you are allowed to post a copy online, use a link (if possible) or ask for the copyright owner’s permission.

No. Without permission, you should not record a virtual event and then post it online.

No. If you're showing a video or film during a presentation or meeting, we recommend that you stop the recording at that point, show the film to your audience, then resume the recording. When you're ready to share the recording, you can then provide a direct link to the film or video so others can watch it in their own time.

Additional Resources

Find more information on using copyrighted material in the classroom:

Note: The information obtained from or through this website is provided as guidelines for using works for educational purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice.