Services and Resources for Faculty

A Guide To Copyright in the Educational Setting

The days when copyright law led an esoteric and quiet life on university campuses disappeared forever with the rise of digitization and the Internet.  If you think copyright has nothing to do with your work at UNC Charlotte, ask yourself whether you have ever posted anything to or printed anything from the Internet.  Have you ever used a photocopier, scanner, recorder or ever "borrowed" someone else's work to use in your own creation?  If so, you have used a copyrighted work, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, and your actions may or may not have been legal.

Alternately, have you ever written a paper, a letter, an email, taken a photograph or vacation video, or even drawn a picture? Congratulations!  Published or not, your work is fully protected by copyright and you are a copyright holder.

Universities both create and use works continuously, particularly as teaching materials, course reserves, and classes themselves move online.  Questions concerning copyright permeate every teaching and research activity on campus.  All projects, writings, course materials must identify and address copyright related issues first.  Doing so will save much time and energy later, especially should your use be challenged.

Our goal is to provide practical assistance in helping you through the copyright maze.  Topics include using copyrighted material in your teaching and research, both online and face-to-face; understanding who owns works created here at UNC Charlotte; fair use; plagiarism; permissions; the TEACH Act; digitizing materials; managing your copyrights responsibly, and much more.  Additionally, this is now the home of the original popular TEACH Act Toolkit, one of the first and heavily used sites explaining the content and implementation of this important addition to the copyright law as it applies to distance education.

For Assistance Contact:
Kate Dickson, Copyright and Licensing Librarian - kdicks12@uncc.edu