Copyright Law Part II

There are four factors that will help determine whether the use made of work is fair use.  The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit education purposes;

• The nature of the copyrighted work;
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

So it would seem that it’s “fair use” if…

• The copying is for educational use;
• The original material is mainly facts and is published;
• You use portions to make your point, not whole sections; and
• You’re not taking potential sales away from the original o You’re not providing copies just so your students don’t have to pay for the books (or original source materials). 

Copyright Law Part I

What is Copyright? It is “the exclusive right to produce or reproduce (copy), to perform in public, or to publish an original literary or artistic work.”

What are literary and artistic works? (Chap. II – Original Works, Sec. 172.1)

These are original creations in the literary and artistic domain protected from the moment of their creation and shall include in particular:

• Books, pamphlets, articles and other writings;
• Periodicals and newspapers;
• Lectures, sermons, addresses, dissertations prepared for oral delivery, whether or not reduced in writing or other material form;
• Letters;
• Dramatic or dramatico-musical compositions, choreographic works or entertainment in dumb shows;
• Musical compositions, with or without words;
• Works of drawing, painting, architecture, sculpture, engraving, lithography or other works of art;