This guide is not intended to replace the advice of legal counsel. The content of this guide is meant to be informative, but does not constitute legal advice. If you have further questions about copyright in your specific situation, please seek appropriate legal counsel.
Posting an item to eLearn/eCampus (or another LMS) does not exempt an instructor from copyright regulations. Therefore, instructors are encouraged to follow copyright "best practices" as outlined in the Copyright Clearance Center’s publication, Using Course Management Systems.
Note that the guidelines suggested below are based on one interpretation of U.S. Copyright Law. If in doubt, it is always advisable to err on the side of caution and speak with legal counsel.
Item |
Allowed |
Not Allowed |
Website containing copyrighted material |
Link to the website via the LMS |
Copying and pasting the information into the LMS |
Copyrighted web image |
Must be educational in nature; display in the LMS for one semester |
Repeated use over multiple semesters |
Article from a library database |
Direct linking to article allowed |
Copying and pasting the article into the LMS |
Article, book, book chapter, or DVD obtained through interlibrary loan or otherwise borrowed from another library |
Permission must be obtained |
Permission denied or not obtained |
Scanned copyrighted image |
Must be educational in nature; display in the LMS for one semester |
Repeated use over multiple semesters |
Scanned chapter from a book |
5% of the total work if in-print; 10% of the total work if out-of-print; allowed for one semester |
More than the allotted percentages or repeated use over multiple semesters |
Scanned article from a journal, trade publication, or magazine |
A single article for one semester |
Multiple articles from the same publication or repeated use over multiple semesters |
Audio files |
No more than thirty seconds without permission |
Repeated use over multiple semesters |
Video files |
10% or three minutes, whichever is less |
Repeated use over multiple semesters |
Created by Dan Nolting, Chatham University. Reused with permission.
This guide is educational; it's not legal advice. For complicated copyright questions, or if you receive a cease & desist letter for activity you believe is within your rights, please contact TSU's legal counsel.