Copyright:Support Guides/Open Courses & Educational Resources Copyright Guidelines/Copyright in Open Environments

Copyright in Open Environments

Many instructors choose to make their teaching and learning materials, resources or full courses publicly available online, which means that anyone with an Internet connection can access and view the resources. This means that when instructors post content openly on the Internet, they are effectively publishing that content online for a global audience.

Using copyrighted materials in an open environment requires more diligence than using those same materials in a classroom or learning management system at UBC. Since the audience is not limited to registered students, the use of third-party copyrighted material is more likely to require the permission of the copyright owner(s), and the inappropriate use of such material is more likely to generate complaints. Further, many of the educational exceptions that allow classroom use of copyrighted material without permission either do not apply in the open environment or apply only in a limited fashion.