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Inside the TJRC: Start the school year off with a refresh on copyright laws

August 26, 2019

The Terry James Resource Centre (TJRC) is the Upper Grand District School Board’s one-stop-shop for materials and resources for UGDSB staff. From the media centre and resource centre to 3D printing, virtual reality and online resources, the TJRC has everything staff need to succeed and pass that success on to UGDSB students. “Inside the TJRC” is an on-going series that will feature some of the amazing resources that the TJRC has to offer.

GUELPH, Ontario – With the start of the new school year, the Terry James Resource Centre (TJRC) is highlighting the importance around copyright laws, especially when it comes to digital materials.

Materials included in copyright guidelines include, print, video, audio, movies, software, websites, printed texts, workbooks and magazines.

Under the Canadian Copyright Act and under fair dealing, it is not an infringement of copyright for the purposes of education, provided that the dealing is ‘fair.’

For educational purposes, fair dealing includes an educator making copies of short excerpts for each student in the class. A short excerpt is up to 10% of a copyright-protected work. It is important to remember that the work still needs to be attributed to the author under fair dealing.

When showing a movie for commercial purposes (such as school movie nights), a copy must be legally obtained. A legally obtained copy includes a copy purchased, rented or borrowed and meets with the terms and agreements of the provider. At the Upper Grand District School Board, physical DVDs can be used for movie nights, provided they are available on Learn360 or the Criterion Pictures website as the UGDSB has licencing agreements with them. If a video is not available on Learn360 or Criterion, a special license will need to be purchased by the school.

It is also important to review the terms and agreements of the provider you are using. For example, if you have legally obtained a video for personal use through a streaming service, the video may not be useable for commercial use under the providers terms and agreements.

Using materials like movies and audio clips are great ways to learn or celebrate as a community, but remember to use them properly and legally by following copyright laws.

For more information about copyright in a school, please see the Copyright Matters brochure. 

Remember, there is a list of classroom tips on the Terry James Resource Centre website.

If you have questions pertaining to copyrighted materials, please contact the Terry James Resource Centre.

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