Using copyrighted materials on a web page is subject to different standards than in a traditional classroom setting. It's essential to understand how the principle of "Fair Use" impacts the educational use of copyrighted material, as online usage often requires stricter adherence to copyright laws and guidelines.
Helpful Copyright Resources:
Adapted from Columbia University’s library pages on copyright.
You can post items in Canvas if:
You created it,
The material is linked rather than copied,
The library staff recommend this method whenever possible. Link to articles (permanent/persistent links, stable URLS, DOIs, etc.), websites, and videos. The legality of embedding videos – that is, not copying, but inserting the video into your website via a link – is still debated, so avoid it where possible. On our ProQuest Databases, this is easily done, as pictured below.
The copyright owner grants you permission,
The item is Open Access,
The item is in the public domain, OR
Your intended use of the item falls under Fair Use exceptions. We encourage you to read the Public Statement of Library Copyright Specialists: Fair Use & Emergency Remote Teaching & Research which has a comprehensive and excellent analysis. In summary, it says:
Education in general, especially not-for-profit education, usually falls under Fair Use. The exigent circumstances we are in – a sudden need to provide education remotely during a public health crisis – strengthens the exception.
You do not have to strictly adhere to the well-known “no more than 10%” or “one chapter” rule; this rule is meant to be situation-specific and minimize overuse of materials. Copyright specialists say that copying larger quantities is reasonable in relation to why the material is being copied. Faculty should be thoughtful about how much of copyrighted material is necessary for teaching effectively online, but you don’t have to agonize over it. Try to do small excerpts, short clips, etc. rather than uploading whole books, articles and videos. Link out to the materials where possible.
The best practice is to use licensed (i.e. paid for) or open access materials as well as linking to avoid copying altogether. However, because of this unprecedented (and fast!) shift to remote learning in the interest of public health, “checking for and relying on licensed alternatives bolsters the case for fair use (…) but lack of time to check for licenses should not be a barrier to meeting the needs of our communities.”