If your planned use of copyrighted material does not fall within the educational use permissions described in the Copyright Act (2012) or the Aurora College copyright compliance guidelines, then you will need to obtain permission from the copyright owner prior to using the work. This can be a long process, so please start well in advance. Here is a guide to obtaining permission:
- Determine if permission is needed – is it copyright-protected? (probably) … Does it fall within the educational uses within Fair Dealing? (not sure? - ask your campus librarian!) If not, then you need to seek, and possibly pay for, permission.
- Contact the publisher/producer/distributor – this may take some time and you may need to follow a trail. Publishers may have a permissions page on-line, or an e-mail contact; if you are not certain, it is probably fastest to phone first and ask your way to the right person.
- Get it in writing - Once you know what to ask and of whom, e-mail the request. Include:
- title, creator/author of the item, publisher/producer, ISBN/ISSN, year of
publication/production
- page number(s) of the item (if appropriate) or length of video clip
- year of publication (also include the volume/issue of a magazine) and edition, if applicable
- number of copies and for whom
- for what purpose and audience (e.g. to include in your presentation slides or post on your
Moodle page, etc.)
- whether the use is educational and not for profit
- how the item is to be reproduced (e.g., photocopied, scanned)
- whether the work will be distributed mechanically (e.g., photocopied and handed out) or
digitally (e.g., via Moodle, a discussion list or email).
And remember, if you need help getting started, the library is your go-to place for copyright advice!
