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Copyright Guide

A guide on resources for the basics of copyright including fair use, the TEACH Act, Creative Commons and other copyright issues for help in learning more about copyright. Nothing in this guide is to be construed as legal advice.

TEACH Act Basics

 

two people talking on webcams

Image by Moondance from Pixabay

The “Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act,” commonly known as the “TEACH Act,” was enacted by Congress on October 4, 2002. It allows educators to use copyrighted materials for distance education, with certain restrictions. The Teach Act applies to any non-profit, accredited educational institution. The TEACH Act applies to the use of materials that would ordinarily be displayed in the live classroom. This means that displaying an entire journal article is not an activity that generally occurs in the physical classroom, but displaying a portion of an article may be more typical and so generally would be covered. Linking to authorized sites (like a public website) is not a copyright violation.

The TEACH Act permits:

  • The performance of a nondramatic literary or musical work
  • The performance of reasonable and limited portions of any other work
  • The display of a work in an amount comparable to that which is typically displayed in the course of a live classroom session

Stanislaus State University has created a page of example scenarios to help instructors explore whether their use is covered here or not. It includes examples of audio, video, articles and readings, and images.