Faculty have an obligation to practice high copyright standards. Refer to the Faculty Handbook to see the University's policy on adhering to copyright legislation. In addition to the guidelines in the Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (PDF) referenced in the handbook, there are many resources available on the internet to help you understand copyright law. The information provided by the library should not be taken as legal advice, but we can provide some best practices for incorporating licensed materials into your course sites. Where possible, link to a legitimate online copy of the work instead of posting a copy of the work on your course website. US copyright law always permits you to link to a legitimate copy of the work hosted elsewhere, even when the work is protected by copyright. For instance, it is permissible to link to many of the electronic resources purchased by the library. If you have questions about creating permalinks to articles, please contact a librarian ([email protected]). If you post a copy of a work always include copyright information including author and publisher names. Some materials do not meet the standards for copyright protection — they are uncopyrightable. Facts, ideas, titles, short phrases, and works prepared by an officer or employee of the US Government as part of that person's official duties all fall into this category. This information was repurposed from the University of Michigan Library Copyright FAQ.
Check out these resources for more information on "fair use" and copyright:
Copyright Crash Course (University of Texas)
Fair Use Checklist (Columbia University Libraries)