While copyright law is difficult to understand, it is important for schools, teachers, and students to respect the rights of copyright holders while still taking advantage of the opportunities to use these materials for use in teaching and learning. Educators and students have the right to use copyrighted materials. This is called fair use and was put into law by the Copyright Act of 1976.

 

Fair use allows the limited use of copyrighted materials without permission or payment of royalties. The advent of digital technology and the Internet has forced educators to reexamine fair use, especially with regards to the redistribution of photographs, videos, and musical works.

 

 

This Web site will review the history of copyright and fair use in the United States, present the most recent code of best practices, and provide links and other resources to help educators exercise their rights in using copyrighted materials.