Copyright+and+Fair+Use+Guidelines

Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines As part of your Capstone Project, you will most likely have to create a bibliography, cite someone else's work that you found online, or even obtain permission to use a digital audio file. As responsible digital citizens, we strive to comply with what is known as "copyright and fair use" guidelines. These guidelines deal with the acceptable uses of copyrighted material, including digital media. In some cases, simply citing the source is sufficient. In other cases, written permission or a special copyright license may be required. Here, we present to you some of the most common situations you may encounter in your project. Compliance with fair use guidelines is one of the rubrics for this project. If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact one of the mentors.

The U.S. Copyright Office acknowledges that it is sometimes difficult to know for certain the difference between the fair use of media and an infringement of copyright. The __responsibility for researching use of the media rests on the end user__ (that's you!) Section 107 of the Copyright Law defines four criteria to consider for fair use:

[] For further clarification, please review the document, "Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia" from the Consortium of College and University Media Centers. []
 * 1) The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
 * 2) The nature of the copyrighted work
 * 3) The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
 * 4) The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

Another great article online about Copyright, Fair Use and use of online content is here: []

Also, please watch this video about fair use and copyright, presented in a very lively manner!

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 * //Graphics//**

__Clip Art__ Clip art is, by definition, not subject to any copyright and you may use it without documenting its source. Microsoft has an extensive clip art collection that includes high quality photos.

__Digital Images__
 * Remember to obtain permission to publish from the subject of your photo or from their parent or guardian.
 * Photos that you have personally taken can be used without documentation.
 * Photos taken by a friend may be used with the friend's permission.
 * Photos found online must be researched to determine whether they are copyrighted. If they are, permission must be obtained to use them. If they are not copyrighted and/or are in the public domain, document their source below the image.
 * Google offers an __Advanced Search__ feature for Images that allows you to specify "labeled for reuse," "labeled for reuse withmodification," etc. Whenever possible, use this feature. Cite the URL of the original image under the image in your publication.




 * __Flickr Commons__ offers a similar option to search for images licensed for reuse or in the public domain. Document the image by inserting the URL of the image below your graphic.
 * __Creative Commons__ is a non-profit organization that offers access to works that are licensed for reuse. It is not a search engine itself, so when you search (via Google, for example) look for the (CC) indicating that that particular work is licensed by Creative Commons.Always document your source, even if licensed for reuse.
 * __Screen shots__ of your computer screen that show copyrighted images or websites should include the URL of the web site. Beaware that using a screen shot of a corporate web page or logo may be aninfringement of copyright. Document screen shots by inserting the URL below the graphic.
 * __Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft (Mostly!) Images and Sound for Use inMedia Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc.__ Most of the media in the mentioned collections are attached to //generous// copyright licensing.


 * //Music//**

Digital music files are subject to copyright. Do not use music in the background of your movie unless you obtain permission or determine it is music unrestricted by copyright. Obtaining permission may not be as impossible as you think at first. Be ready to explain to the copyright department of the publisher the name of the song, the artist, the intended use, whether you will be posting it on the Internet, and whether you will be making copies (CDs or DVDs) and how many. Most publishing companies have a link to their copyright department on their website, and they will help you determine whether your use requires a special license.

In some cases, for example in Animoto, copyright permission is granted to use the specific music provided in Animoto. You do not have to obtain permission to use this music, and documentation of the artist and song is included in the digital file produced by Animoto.

Please read this enlightening article from School Video News about useof music in the background of your video. [].This web site has a wealth of information about using video in education. You may want to browse through their other articles.

Parish and diocesan licenses for liturgical music do not cover the use of digital music in videos. Be sure to call the diocesan office if you have any questions about whether your use is covered.


 * //Video//**

Most of us are familiar with YouTube. Here are two links to read whatYouTube has to say about copyright and fair use related to videos: [] and [] The best option is to make sure that what is posted in your video is original, owned by you, and does not require permission from some other person.The second best option is to be sure you obtain permission for items that are copyrighted by others. Remember to insert the URL of videos that you use in a text box below the video image.


 * //Writing Your Capstone Article//**

Your Capstone article that is intended for publication in a blog or online journal will include a section at the end that lists references if you used any quotes, referred to someone else's work, copied any material or included any images or other digital files that you did not create. This bibliography is traditionally placed at the end of the article. It will be helpful if you keep a running list of your resources. Formatting your bibliography is also an important skill. Fortunately, there are online tools that make organizing and formatting website references much easier. We recommend you use [|Bibme.org.]



Using Bibme.org, you can specify the formatting style you want to use. We recommend you use MLA style.

CiteFast is another citation generation tool that could be helpful to you. Visit []



Here is another useful article and guide for citing social media. Click on the image to go to the website for more information, or visit the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning website: []