Library:Copyright Site/Distributing Course Resources

From UBC Wiki

The summary below outlines the options for making copies for instructional purposes, based on the Copyright Guidelines for UBC Faculty, Staff, and Students and the Fair Dealing Guidelines for Members of the UBC Community. Please also refer to our Copyright FAQ for some alternatives for making content available to students.

Rules for Copying

When photocopying or scanning from copyrighted works without the permission of the copyright owner, UBC relies on what is permitted under the Copyright Act. It is very important that UBC faculty, staff and students abide by the provisions of the Copyright Act, Copyright Guidelines for UBC Faculty, Staff, and Students and Fair Dealing Guidelines for Members of the UBC Community.

What copying is permitted under the Copyright Act?

In general, it is permissible to make a copy if:

  • the work being copied is in the public domain, i.e. it is no longer protected by copyright (in Canada, copyright protection generally expires 50 years after the death of the creator, and translations or annotations of such works are also copyrighted)
  • the copyright owner has given permission the work to be copied is covered by a licence that permits such copying, e.g. a Creative Commons licence or a licence UBC has with the publisher of an electronic journal or book the copying is permitted by one of the exceptions in the Copyright Act, such as:
    • the educational exception permitting copies to be made to display to students for educational and training purposes during a class on UBC campus, using an overhead projector or similar device (provided the work is not already available in a commercial format)
    • the educational exception permitting copies to be made for students as required for a test or an examination on UBC campus (provided the work is not already available in a commercial format)
    • the fair dealing exception, which permits limited copying for the purpose of research, private study, criticism, review, or news reporting (Note: educational and instructional purposes are not specifically included under this exception)

Options for Providing Print Copies

Custom Course Packs

If you need to make copies of a work to be included in a course pack for sale to students, the UBC Bookstore will take care of this for you, including ensuring that the required copyright approvals are obtained. Any future course packs should continue to be produced through the UBC Bookstore. For assistance, please contact the UBC Bookstore:

Classroom Handouts

Making copies for the purpose of instruction or teaching is not generally considered fair dealing. Instructors will no longer be able to continue the past practice under the Access Copyright licence of copying and handing out limited sections of copyrighted works. For more information about appropriate use of electronic resources see: http://licenses.library.ubc.ca/. 'If in doubt, or if you have questions about a particular resource, please contact lib-license@interchange.ubc.ca.

Alternative Print Options:

  • Link directly to licensed e-journal and e-book content via the UBC learning management system (WebCT Vista and Connect);
  • Place the original book/resource on Course Reserve with the UBC Library for students to borrow;
  • Make copies from public domain, open access, or Creative Commons licensed materials.

Options for Providing Electronic Copies

Posting scanned copies of books and other published works on the UBC learning management systems (WebCT Vista):

Permission is required to scan and post content from copyrighted works onto UBC learning and course management systems.

  • The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) obtains permission for fully online, Distance Education courses.
  • The UBC Bookstore obtains copyright permission for printed course packs.
  • For other uses, you may obtain seek permission yourself by emailing or writing a letter to the copyright owner.
  • Contact ubc-permissions@interchange.ubc.ca for help in obtaining permission

Posting PDFs of e-journal articles on the UBC learning management system (WebCT Vista and Blackboard Learn):

Some of the UBC Library's e-journal content may be posted in PDF form to WebCT Vista and Blackboard Learn ; otherwise, link directly to e-journal content rather than downloading and posting the PDF. The UBC Library has created a guide on how to create persistent links to e-journal content for WebCT Vista. If you have questions about whether or not a specific journal title allows the posting of a PDF of an article to WebCT Vista or and Blackboard Learn, email lib-license@interchange.ubc.ca

Including figures and illustrations in online course notes:

Figures, illustrations, photographs and excerpts taken from textbooks, web sites, journals, or other published works, can be included in lecture notes displayed to students in a classroom setting on UBC campus. However, when posting lecture notes online, permission to include such content is required. If the figures are taken from the required text for the course, the publisher may allow the content to be posted in UBC learning management systems (WebCT Vista). Check the copyright page included in the text or accompanying materials, or contact the publisher directly to find out. Some of the library's e-journal licences may permit the posting of content in UBC learning management systems (WebCT Vista and Connect). E-mail lib-license@interchange.ubc.ca for information about specific journal titles and licence terms, or if you need to obtain permission. Note that you will need to provide specific details of the content you are using, such as figure titles and the page numbers on which they appear. '

Sharing e-journal articles to students or colleagues via email:

Send a link or citation to an e-journal article rather than sending a PDF copy. Some of the library's e-journal licences permit the e-mailing of PDF copies of articles to students and colleagues at your own institution. Most e-journal licences, however, do not permit the e-mailing of articles to colleagues at other institutions. For colleagues at other institutions, suggest that they obtain the article via Interlibrary Loan (ILL) or through their own institution's subscription.

Posting PowerPoint slides with copyrighted material online:

In some cases, textbook publishers will allow you to include copies of figures in your PowerPoints and online classrooms, but usually only when the textbook is a required text for the course. You should check with the publisher first before posting the figures and comply with whatever conditions they attach to your use of the work. Please see this FAQ for more information on posting slides online.

Using content from the Web:

Material available on the Internet is copyrighted in the same way as print and other formats, even if there is no copyright symbol or notice. Linking directly to the web page containing the content you wish to refer to is almost always permissible. If there are signs that the web site contains content posted without the permission of the copyright owner, you should avoid linking to it. You should check the website's Terms of Use section to confirm whether it has any specific linking prohibitions. If there are none, you may link to the website but make sure that the webpage opens up in a different browser window. If the web-page does not clearly identify the website and content owner, you should also include the full details of the author, copyright owner and source of the materials by the link. This will avoid any suggestion that the website is your own material or that your website is somehow affiliated with the other site. The website's Terms of Use, or Legal Notices section may also confirm whether specific consents have been provided by the copyright owner to allow use of the website's materials. In some cases, you may be able to use the website materials for free for non-commercial and educational purposes. However, please note that if the website, including the Terms of Use or Legal Notices sections do not provide any consents relating to use of website materials, you should assume that copyright consents are required from the copyright owner.

Alternatives Electronic Options:

  • Whenever possible, utilize e-journal and e-book content that UBC has already licensed.
  • Link directly to open access content, or to content freely available on the web, after you have checked for any linking prohibitions and avoided websites that potentially infringe copyright.

Please refer to the Copyright Contacts page to locate people and resources to help you with your copyright needs.

Text derived fromï Copyright at the University of Waterloo: A Guide for Those Teaching Courses by University of Waterloo, licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Canada Licence.

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