Cotant 1

Melissa Cotant
Professor Doyle Potter
EDUC 525
27 June 2013

Copyright Laws
Imagine writing your own book and someone copies it for free. Is that fair? Of course
not, all that hard work of writing a book should be rewarded. If an author wrote a book and did
not make a profit from it, he or she would not take the time to write all those pages. Copyright
preserves the creativity of a book, a photograph, a painting, a computer program, a play, and a
song. For an author, copyright lasts the life of the author with an extra 70 years. When the author
dies, the ownership is passed on to his or her children or the heirs. What happens when
individuals copy and distribute pirated books, movies, music, or anything else that has a
copyright? For teachers, can copyright material be used in the classroom? What are the legal
ramifications and the ethical issues in this matter?
For educators, using technology in the classroom, the fair use doctrine, in section 107 of
Title 17 of the 1976 Copyright Act, allows the limited use of copyright material without getting
permission from the copyright holder (Davidson, par. 5). Educators are allowed to use copyright
material for instructional use with provision that it is being used in a non-profit instructional
setting (classroom), copies may be made only from the original, and the resources being used are
not available for sale. A school cannot show a Disney movie in the cafeteria for perfect
attendance and consider it fair use. Based on the copyright guidelines, a movie cannot be shown
for entertainment or reward. As long as they are not copied illegally, teachers may use CDs,
DVDs, and software in their instruction. If the school purchases computer software, they must

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have the same amount of licenses as they have computers. The amount of computers used must
not surpass the amount of licenses. A school selling tickets to their performance of the play
Wicked, is not fair use if the performance rights are not purchased (Davidson, par. 13).
For a number of teachers, they have a fear of violating copyright laws. They keep their
lessons from being more engaging because of the lack of knowledge of fair use. They lack
confidence in their abilities to incorporate copyright use with technology. Other teachers defy the
laws all together. They upload a single use software onto multiple computers, use more
copyrighted material in their lessons than they should, or they refuse to educate their students on
copyright laws. As educators, we should set an example to our students because our students
look up to us.
Teachers must educate themselves in the fair use guidelines to stay within the boundaries
of copyright laws. First, in video, only three minutes or 10% of a video may be used, whichever
is less. Secondly, with printed material, only 1,000 words or 10% may be printed, whichever is
less. With poems, only 250 words may be used. With music, only 30 seconds or 10% may be
used, whichever is less. Lastly, with photographs, no more than five images may be used for
classroom instruction (Flamos 2).
Stealing copyrighted material has become a thing of the norm because everyone is doing
it and because of this, it has become a worldwide issue. There are consequences for every action
and with stealing copyrighted material; there are civil and criminal penalties. In some cases, a
letter of cease to desist is sent to the person violating copyright laws. In this letter, the violator is
demanded to stop all illegal activity (Wilford, par. 5). In a school or university, breaking
copyright laws could result in suspension or even expulsion (Wilford, par. 6). In most
circumstances, legal action is taken if the copyright owner files a claim (Wilford, par. 2). In the
music industry, Vanilla Ice released a hit song, Ice, Ice, Baby, in 1990 where he used a portion

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of the melody from David Bowie and Queens song, Under Pressure. Vanilla Ice did not give
credit to the artists, which resulted in legal action. The case settled out of court for an unspecified
amount (Bowie, et al., par. 4).
In conclusion, as educators, it is our job to become educated in copyright laws as well as
to educate our students. There is no excuse for unawareness in this subject area because there are
severe consequences that can result. We must become educated in this field by examining the
copyright laws and abiding by them. Then we must inform our students that copyright laws are
there to protect the creativity of others. When we abide by them, we are modeling good ethical
digital behavior for our students. We must help them to understand the rules of fair use by
teaching them what they can and cannot use in the classroom. By building awareness, we are
protecting our students, the creators, and ourselves without violating copyright laws.

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Works Cited
David Bowie, Queen, and Vanilla Ice. Copyright Website. Copyright Website LLC, 2011.
Web 29 June 2013.
Davidson, Hall. The Educators Lean and Mean No FAT Guide to Fair Use. Copyright
Copywrong. CMP Media LLC, 2003. Web. 27 June 2013.
Flamos, Michelle. Copyright for Educators. Copyright for Educators.pdf. South Carolina
Department of Education, nd. Web 28 June 2013.
Wilford, Crystal. What Are the Consequences of Breaking Copyright Laws? Wisegeek.
Conjecture Corporation, 2013. Web. 30 June 2013.