Open Textbooks, OER & Other Open or Free Resources for Faculty

Fair use is a doctrine of U.S. copyright law which gives exceptions to certain uses of copyrighted materials, which would otherwise be copyright infringement. To determine if fair use applies to your use, the four fair use factors must be applied. 

This checklist also available as a Word document you can download and type into.

Instructions:

• Use the checklist to perform a fair use analysis on each item you want to copy, whether it's to print copies or upload to Talon. Complete and retain a copy of this checklist to demonstrate your good faith attempt to follow the doctrine of fair use.
• Not all of the statements under each factor will be present in any given situation. Check only those that apply to your use.
• Where there are opposing statements, usually only one or the other applies.
• No single item or factor is determinative of fair use, but some factors carry more weight than others, as indicated below.
• The final determination is based on a weighing or balancing of the four factors together. You do not need to have all factors or all details pointing in favor of or against fair use. (It’s not “all or nothing”.)
• Add an attribution to all shared materials, noting the original source of the work.
• Copies must be made from legally owned copies (personal or Kirkwood-owned). Copies made from borrowed materials, such as on loan from interlibrary loan, are not considered owned copies. 
• Contact Kirkwood Library Services for help in making a fair use determination.

Factor 1: Purpose and Character of the Use

In short: Educational use is typically allowed.

Factor 2: Nature of the Work

In short:

1. Factual works are more likely to be allowed than creative works or works with a large proportion of author opinion or analysis.
2. Transformative use of the work is likely to be allowed. Examples of transformative use by students include: literary analysis of the work, use of the work as a case study, application of concepts to a sample work.

Factor 3: Amount and Substantiality of Portion Used

In short: Make sure your use is limited to just those portions of the work needed to achieve the learning objective. 

Factor 4: Effect on the Market for Original

In short: If there is a clear, accessible, and reasonably priced way for students to purchase the work, fair use is not likely to be allowed.

Also please note: you must own a lawfully acquired or purchased copy of the original work that is being copied. This may be a personal copy or a copy owned by Kirkwood (e.g. a library copy). This may not be a copy obtained through Interlibrary Loan or other rented or borrowed source.

Adapted from the University System of Georgia “Fair Use Checklist”. Used with permission

The 2-Factor Method

The Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI) has developed an alternative 2-factor method specifically for educators determining whether the copying they want to do would be considered fair use. If you can answer "yes" to both of these questions, a court would likely rule the use is allowed:

1. Does the use "transform" the materials taken from the copyrighted work by using it for a broadly beneficial purpose different from that of the original (or does it just repeat the work for the same intent and value as the original)?
2. Is the material taken appropriate in kind and amount considering the nature of the copyrighted work and of the use?

Taken from CMSI's "Best Practices in Fair Use for OER"

More Fair Use Resources

The Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI) has been developing Codes of Best Practices for different users and disciplines which are extremely helpful. We recommend you look through these to see if your discipline is represented. 

Q: What about images, video clips, or other multimedia? Don't special rules apply?

A: The Fair Use doctrine makes no distinctions between different media or formats. Therefore the four fair use factors can still be applied to use of multimedia. However, some common uses listed below are typically considered fair use:

1. Students may incorporate portions of lawfully acquired copyrighted works when producing their own educational multimedia projects for a specific course.
2. Students may perform and display their own multimedia projects for educational uses in the course for which they were created and use in their own portfolios as examples for later personal uses (e.g. job and graduate school interviews).
3. Educators may incorporate portions of lawfully acquired copyrighted works when producing their own educational multimedia projects for their own teaching tools in support of curriculum-based instructional activities at educational institutions
4. Educators may perform and display their own multimedia projects in face-to-face instruction or posted online in a secure location, such as Talon.

Q: The rules keep repeating to use a "lawfully acquired copy". What exactly is a "lawfully acquired copy"? 

A: In the case of educational use, it means copying the portion of the work you use from a personal copy or a college-owned copy (often a Library copy). Specifically, copying a portion from a rented or interlibrary loaned copy is *NOT* using a lawfully acquired copy, because it was only borrowed, not owned by the instructor or the institution.

The same general rules for use of copyrighted material outlined on this guide also apply to use of videos. Here are answers to some common questions:

Q: I show a lot of YouTube videos in class. Can I post these to Talon?

A: Yes, just use the "Share" button in YouTube (or other online video source) and use the direct link or the embed code to share in Talon. Also, it's good practice not to link to a video that doesn't appear to have been posted by the owner. It's likely not a legal copy. Remember that the library can often purchase a copy of a published video, such as an episode of a series, a movie, or a documentary.

Q: I have a personal copy of a DVD that I usually show in class. How can I post this video online?

A: You can typically contact Kirkwood's Media Services for assistance with this. The Library can sometimes purchase streaming video as well, depending on the title.

Q: Can I borrow a DVD from another library, like the public library or through interlibrary loan, and ask Media Services to put this on our VOD system?

A: No. The TEACH Act states that the original copy must be owned by the individual or by the college.

Q: I want to post a short clip of a YouTube video. Can I download a copy then edit it down to the clip I want to use?

A: This question is more complicated. First, check the usage license on the video. It is possible to find videos on YouTube that are open licensed, which allows anyone to make a copy and edit it. 
In YouTube,  you can create a share URL for a video that begins at the moment you want students to begin watching. Pause the video where you want the clip to begin, then click on the Share button, and select the box at the bottom that says "Start at". Copy and paste the resulting link as usual. 

Any other questions? Just Ask a Librarian!