What is a Copyright?

A copyright is a property right. It means you own the work you create (unless you give the rights to someone else).   As the copyright holder, you have the right to copy, distribute, adapt, display or perform your work.  If someone else has taken the above actions with your work and done so without your permission, he/she has violated your copyright.  If you have taken the above actions with someone else's work, without express permission, you have violated his/her copyright.

Exceptions (Okay, there are exceptions, but be very careful about how you use them).   Public Domain--Anything published before 1923 is public domain. Government Documents are public domain. For other works, it depends on the following: when it was published whether it was published if the copyright was renewed if it published with a notice For a better idea of what qualifies as public domain, visit http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm   Fair Use -- Fair Use offers some protection. It means that you can use material for the following: criticism reporting research educational or nonprofit uses parody Additionally, there are limits: how it is used how much is used how important it is to the work what the effects of it are However, the rights you have as a teacher in a face to face classroom, do not automatically extend to distance education. For more information, go to "Distance Education Issues." Some great descriptions of Fair Use : http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm http://www.ucsc.edu/matman/BusCon/copyrightothers.htm#What is Fair Use