All About Copyright Laws and How They Impact Educators

A California State University Dominguez Hills PT3 Project

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United States Copyright Office

An Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
Afive-part series from Education World magazine.
Copyright and Fair Use
From the Stanford University Library.
Center for Intellectual Property and Copyright in the Digital Environment
Up-to-date information on copyright questions in the news. Also, if you have a question about what you can and can't do in this rapidly changing era, the site has a spot where you can "Ask the Intellectual Property Resource Specialist" and get your answer online. There's also an electronic mailing list, if you want to be kept up-to-date on this important topic. Finally, do check out the outstanding interactive Primer, an online tutorial on copyright basics, complete with questions, scenarios and resources. Site is maintained by the University of Maryland.
Copyright In An Electronic Environment
Guidelines from a consortium of college and university media centers.
The Copyright Web Site
Maintained by an attorney, this well-designed site provides easy to understand highlights of the copyright law, with summaries of famous copyright cases.
Copyright Workshop
A good site for teaching your students about copyright, ths includes a clever, interactive quiz that will appeal to younger and older kids, links to relevant sites and a lesson plan with worksheets and quizzes.
Crash Course in Copyright
Developed by the University of Texas, for educators, this online class makes a complex topic understandable. In particular, check out the interactive tutorial. And take the quiz.
Copyright Basics
A somewhat simplified version of copyright law.
Copyright and Distance Learning
University of Wisconsin site with tons of lins, for those who really want to explore the topic.
Copyright, Fair Use and Citing Sources
Links from Landmarks for Schools.
Copyright Timeline
An historical look at copyright, how it began and why.
Copyright and K12. Who Pays In the Network Era?
An interesting article by an author who is a member of the Consortium for School Networking.
Copyright Management Center
Fair use in teaching and research. Information from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The Copyright Website
Copyright law as it applies to visual, audio and digital art. Case law. Articles.
Copyright Workshop
A full lesson plan with exercises, tests and resources.
Debate Over Copyright Protection in the Digital Age
Summary of recent legislation
Educator's Lean and mean no FAT Guide to Fair Use
Includes a quiz with answers and a useful copyright chart
K-12 Copyright Resources
Links to other schools. See what they're saying and doing.
Keeping It Legal
This article, by Jamie McKenzie, deals with issues that arise in Web site management.
Law and the Web: What You Don't Know Can Help You
A must for anyone working on a web site. Lots of good cases and examples.
A Question of Fair Use: Copyright and the New Technologies
Article by national copyright law consultant.
Reboot Your Attitude
Reproducibles, activities and online resources to help students learn about copyrights, plagiarism,cheating, and intellectual honesty.
Starving Artists Law.com
Self-help legal information. This section is for teachers and librarians.
Technology is Changing What's Fair Use in Teaching--Again.
Two researchers from the University of California at Berkeley take at look at the impact of technology on Fair Use. From the educational policy analysis archives at the University of Arizona.
A Visit to Copyright Bay
Students may enjoy the visual appeal of this site.
When Works Pass Into the Public Domain
Handy chart with all appropriate dates and qualifications.
10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained
Worth reading. Clarifies some important points.
Current Law Could Change; Stay Tuned

On October 9, 2002, the U.S., Supreme Court will hear arguments in Eldred v. Ashcroft, Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig's challenge to the Sonny Bono copyright extension law. For background on this case, check the September 22, 2002 Issue of the Los Angeles Times Magazine . For more information, and much more information on copyright law, check Prof. Lessig's Web site: http://www.lessig.org

For background on Prof. Lessig, check this Boston Globe magazine article.

For an interesting backgrounder on the entire issue, in easy-to-understand English, check out Is What's Black and White and Eldred All Over?

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(Updated November 4, 2002)