FAQs on Copyright

Yes, everyone at Ursinus is subject to U.S. copyright laws.

Ursinus College is committed to maintaining compliance with all expects of the law. Accordingly, it is expected that all members of the College community comply with all federal laws including U.S. Copyright Laws. Adherence to U.S. Copyright Laws has a profound impact: students learn how to approach issues pertaining to the use of copyrighted items; authors/artists receive royalties (income) due to them for their work, and the College maintains its good name and reputation. It is important to note that violations of the U.S. Copyright Laws can lead to lawsuits, financial penalties, and further College investigation(s).

No, you should always perform a “reasonable and good faith” test to determine fair use. Columbia University Libraries offers a four factor test to determine if your particular use is fair use.

After performing a “reasonable and good faith” test for fair use, you may be able to use materials in a course pack. Fair use is a one time use only. If you were to use the same course pack in successive semesters without permission from the copyright holder or paying a fee for use, this would be an infrignment of copyright.

Yes, Copyright Law Section 110 states that the viewing must be part of face-to-face teaching for your class on campus. Inviting the campus and outside community is looked upon as a public viewing and could result in hefty fines.

Yes, this is a violation of section 110(1). You should place the original DVD on reserve.

According to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, circumventing copyright protection systems is a criminal act; however, the Librarian of Congress is empowered by Section 1201 of the Act to periodically enact temporary exemptions to these prohibitions in cases where they would unnecessarily inhibit legitimate uses of copyrighted works. Typically, exemptions have been made to allow educators to compile excerpts of copyrighted works for the purposes of criticism and comment.

In 2018, the Librarian of Congress renewed/enacted several exemptions related to the Section 1201 Rulemaking process, including:

• Excerpts of motion pictures (including television programs and videos) for criticism and comment:
• • For educational uses,
    • By college and university or K-12 faculty and students
    • By faculty of massive open online courses (“MOOCs”)
    • By educators and participants in digital and literacy programs offered by libraries, museums and other nonprofits
  • For nonfiction multimedia e-books
  • For uses in documentary films and other films where the use is in parody or for a biographical or historically significant nature
  • For uses in noncommercial videos

Whenever possible you should provide a link to the resource you wish to use rather than copying the material directly. If that is not possible, please refer to The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education.

No, you must obtain permission to use the materials in subsequent semesters.

No.  Technically VHS tapes are not obsolete yet, as combination DVD-VHS players are still available for sale.  To investigate purchasing a film in a newer format (e.g. DVD or Blu-ray), please submit a request to Myrin Library Acquisitions, and we will help find the most appropriate solution for your needs.