Copyright & Fair Use in Teaching & Research

This guide provides an introduction to copyright for use by Piedmont University students, staff, and faculty.  We will point you to a number of resources that will help you learn what copyright is, what types of works are protected by copyright in the United States, definitions and examples of Fair Use, applying the principles of fair use in the classroom and in Canvas, among other questions frequently asked.  

Please note that this guide is not a substitute for legal advice.

This guide is based on an original created by Jeff Alger of the Iowa State University Library, whose permission to adapt is gratefully acknowledged.

Let's start with some basics. The Crash Course YouTube channel has created a number of short and entertaining educational videos, including a series on Intellectual Property with three segments on copyright. Their Copyright Basics video is embedded below. It provides a short history of copyright law and its original intent, what types of works are protected by copyright, and what counts as "work for hire."

(12:17 minutes; closed captions available via video screen's bottom menu bar, right corner.)