Copyright has long been a cornerstone of higher education, allowing instructors to both retain their intellectual property and practice respectful scholarship. Yet copyright rules can seem ambiguous, especially in the ways the Internet is used today.

Copyright “fair use” in academics is often misinterpreted, and care should be taken to understand how — and to what extent — copyrighted materials may be properly used in a course environment.

Texas A&M has several resources available for distributing “fair use” copyright-protected content. You can securely store or link content in Vista, and make print and electronic reserves at the TAMU Libraries. You can also request multimedia reserves through Education Media Services (EdMS) in the Evans Library Annex or upload audiovisual media on MediaMatrix and iTunes U. Please remember that each of these components relies on end-users to follow copyright laws and respect the intellectual property of others.

Copyright Links

Crash Course in Copyright from the University of Texas System
A website that provides copyright guidelines for academia and a crash course tutorial to test your knowledge of copyright issues.

Copyright, Fair Use, and Electronic Reserves information from TAMU Libraries
An overview for placing copyrighted items on course reserves at any of the TAMU Libraries.

Audiovisual Copyright Information for distributing media on TAMU MediaMatrix
Guidelines for "fair use" copyright laws and checklists for following the TEACH Act.

Digital Millenium Copyright Act information from TAMU Information Technology Issues Management
Includes contact information for reporting copyright infringements at TAMU.

EDUCAUSE's Digital Millenium Copyright Act Website
Frequently updated academic resource for EDUCAUSE policies regarding copyright compliance.

TEACH Act Toolkit from North Carolina State University
Guidelines, implementations, and best practices for following the TEACH Act, especially for distributing copyrighted materials online.

Know Your Copy Rights from the Association of Research Libraries
Academic perspectives for broadly enhancing copyright best practices on campus.

U.S. Copyright Office
Official U.S. government website that features copyright basics, FAQs, registration forms, and national laws and regulations.