LibGuides: Copyright Resource Center: Classroom Copies

Reproductions of Copyrighted Works: Issues for Educators

The following guidelines are excerpted from the Conference Report to the 1976 Copyright Act. They apply to classroom copying in a non-profit educational setting.

Reproduction of copyrighted works by educators and librarians (PDF)
Commonly referred to as Circular 21
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IMPORTANT QUOTES FROM CIRCULAR 21:
"The Copyright Office cannot give legal advice or offer opinions on what is permitted or prohibited." (p. 1)

"Although the courts have considered and ruled upon the fair use doctrine over and over again, no real definition of the concept has ever emerged." (p. 4)

"Subsection (g) provides that the rights granted by this section extend only to the “isolated and unrelated reproduction of a single copy,” but this section does not authorize the related or concerted reproduction of multiple copies of the same material whether made on one occasion or over a period of time, and whether intended for aggregate use by one individual or for separate use by the individual members of a group. For example, if a college professor instructs his class to read an article from a copyrighted journal, the school library would not be permitted, under subsection (g), to reproduce copies of the article for the members of the class." (p. 13)

Syllabi

Sample Language for Syllabi

Materials distributed to students or made available to students in connection with this course may be copyright protected. They are intended for use only by students registered and enrolled in this course and only for the instructional activities associated with and for the duration of this course. They may not be retained in another medium or disseminated further.