Generally, educators may legally use copyrighted materials without permission for educational purposes, if that use qualifies under copyright law or as a fair use.
How do I know if a work is copyrighted?
As soon as someone creates an original work (visual, auditory, written, etc.) in a fixed medium (video, written, song, etc.) it is copyrighted by the creator. In the U.S., copyright lasts from the moment a work is created until 70 years after the death of the author. In cases where works are created by a company/employer, copyright lasts 95 years from the date of publication.
More information on duration of copyright.
What is fair use?
Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyrighted-protected material, in certain circumstances, without permission from the copyright holder for certain types of uses, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Helpful links
- Copyright Law of the United States.
- General guidelines on when teachers may use copyrighted material from Stanford University Library
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
Actively Learn cannot provide legal guidance and leaves it to teachers/partners to ensure that their use is permitted under copyright law or as a fair use.