Copyright and You!


As soon as a work is created, the creator owns the copyright to that work. This page will provide general information about copyright in educational settings and some tools to find images, information, etc. that can be used in classes and for educational purposes.

More resources are available on this Wakelet collection.

Copyright


As soon as a work (graph, writing, image, etc. is created and posted somewhere, including online, it is copyrighted. Copyright lasts until the creator has died and then 70 years has passed. You must get permission to use copyrighted works OR determine if your use falls under "Fair Use" exceptions. NOT ALL EDUCATION USE is FAIR USE!
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NCSU Libraries - Publishing and Copyright
NCSU Libraries - Copyright & Digital Scholarship Center
NCSU Libraries - Classroom Specific Copyright/Fair Use

Public Domain

Once a work is in the public domain it can be freely used, changed, remixed, etc. A work goes into public domain because it is granted by the creator (see Creative Commons) or, generally, due to age. Any work published in the US before 1923 and any work in which the creator has died and 70 years has passed. Legally you do not have to give credit after a work is in the Public Domain but you should still give credit so that you are not plagiarizing.

Plagiarism

​PLAGIARISM and issues of copyright are different - you must give credit to creators to avoid plagiarism (suggesting someone else's work is your own).

If you want to run a writing sample, paper, essay, lesson plan, etc. against a plagiarism checker before turning it in, you can use Turnitin.com at NC State. We run Turnitin through Moodle - if you are a College of Ed student, click here for directions on how to use it!

Fair Use

Because you are in a nonprofit, educational setting, your use of something copyrighted MAY be allowed. You must analyze your usage and see how it falls into four categories:
1. the purpose of the work (i.e. is it really an educational use)
2. the nature of the work (i.e. not highly creative)
3. the amount/substantiality of the use (i.e. did you use so much of the original that you just should have bought it....?)
4. the effect of your use on the market (i.e. did your use mean someone didn't get to make money?)
**Be sure to give credit to the creator regardless of "Fair Use"

Fair Use "Quiz" with Examples 
Fair Use Checklist for Guidance 
​FAQ with Educational Examples

Creative Commons

"Creative Commons helps you legally share your knowledge and creativity to build a more equitable, accessible, innovative world." With Creative Commons (CC), you can license your own work, or others can so that everyone online knows how it can be used. Look for the Creative Commons icons and check out the links to see what the different licenses mean. Please use CC licenses on your own lesson plans, images, videos, etc. to help others.

If a creator gives his/her work a CC0 license then there are not restrictions to using the work (including no need for attribution).

Further Information

Creative Commons Guide

Copyright Friendly Image Sites

Image Sites/Directions (check the license):

Copyright Friendly Video & Music Sites

Music Sites Video Clips