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Virtual Classroom

General

Does the 10% copying limit apply to digital materials?
Can I link to websites in my online course?

D2L and Course websites

If access to materials is password protected do I need to worry about copyright?
Can I re-use copyright cleared material in another course?

Posting Images

Can I use digital images on my course page?

Scanning Documents

Can I create a pdf of an article or book chapter and post it to my D2L course?

Powerpoint

Can I post a Powerpoint presentation provided by a textbook publisher to my D2L course?
Can I post the same Powerpoint presentation that I have used in class on D2L?

Videos

Can students include music in their video assignments?
Can I stream videos in my online course?

Electronic Course Readings

Will the Library look after copyright if I ask them to create electronic course readings for me?
How much are copyright fees and who pays?
Who is responsible for obtaining copyright clearance for materials not processed by Library e-reserve staff?

General

Does the 10% or one chapter copying limit apply to digital materials?

Yes. The general rule of a 10% or one chapter copying limit, stated in the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow apply to digital copying (scanning) or distribution online in a password protected environment (D2L).

Users also do NOT have to seek permissions for digital copying and distribution from rights holders (usually publishers) if they are doing the following:

Please note:  Digital material in TMU library collections – electronic e-books, electronic journals articles are made available to our community by licences, and may not be covered under fair dealing. In some cases our licences do not allow full text posting of material, but almost always allow linking to resources. Please check licences using our Instructions on How to Check Library Licenced Material workflow.

Can I link to websites in my online course?

Yes but please note:

  • Avoid any confusion that the Website is your own material.
  • Link to the Website but make sure that the Web page opens up in a different browser window.
  • If the Web page does not clearly identify the Website and content owner, include the full details of the author, copyright owner and source of the materials by the link.
  • Do not place links to sites requiring membership or subscription, or encryption unless it is understood that students are entitled to access to site without a fee or havig to sign up for an account.

D2L and Course Websites

If access to materials is password protected, do I need to worry about copyright?

Yes, even though D2L or other university networks are password protected you do need to copyright check all material you post to the LMS or elsewhere. Please use the One Stop Course Reading Service to make your electronic readings available in D2L and your readings will be copyright checked. If you decide to post material yourself must abide by the Toronto Metropolitan University Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow.

Can I reuse copyright cleared material next semester or in another course?

Yes, if you use the One Stop Course Reading Service or if the use is allowed according the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow. Re-use of the same material may require permission from the rights holder if the material IS NOT covered under existing licences or the fair dealing guideline. Business case studies and the use of material over 10% for example must be re-cleared each term if they are from a publisher like Ivey or Harvard University Press, or a book publisher.

Can I use digital images or articles from the Internet in my D2L course page?

Internet:  Consider using creative commons licenced resources. Also the use of images from the Internet can be covered by an exception in the Canadian Copyright Act: Section 30.04: Work available through Internet. This exception will allow you to copy and or distribute to students, materials that you have found on the Internet, as long as:

    • the material was posted legitimately (i.e. by the or with the consent of the Copyright owner).
    • there is no clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use of the content.
    • there is no technological protection measure preventing access to the material or preventing copying of the material (e.g. password protected material).
    • you have acknowledged the author & website.

If you are unsure about what constiutes a clearly visible notice please contact copyrt@torontomu.ca.

Library databases:  Library subscribed image databases (e.g. ARTStor) permit posting of images to D2L for educational purposes. Please see How to Check Library Licenced material that you would like to use.

Can I create a pdf of an article or a book chapter and post it to my D2L course?

Yes, if allowed according the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow. All material that you wish to post needs to individually checked according to these guidelines.
However please consider using the One Stop Course Reading Service. The library checks copyright, scans documents and provides links to the Library’s subscribed databases. We also clear  transactional permissions from  the publisher or publisher’s representative as necessary, usually at a fee that covers the duration of the course.

Textbooks:  Yes, digital copies of up to 10% or one chapter is allowed according the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow. Amount restrictions do apply, please refer to the fair dealing guideline. If you use more than 10% of a work or one chapter please send your request to reserve@torontomu.ca and we will try to clear the work on your behalf and post the reading to E-Reserve.

Can I post a Powerpoint presentation provided by a textbook publisher on D2L?

Yes, if the terms of use provided by the publisher allow the material to be posted to a Learning Management system like D2L.

Can I post the same Powerpoint presentation that I have used in class on D2L?

Yes, as long as the amount of material that you use does not exceed what is allowed under the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow.


Can students include music in their video projects?

To minimize the risk of infringing copyright when incorporating music in a student video project in that is posted to D2L, encourage them to use creative commons licenced resources if copyright permissions are not feasible to obtain. If a student posts a student project to a user generated content site (like Vimeo or Youtube) however, new provisions provided by the Copyright Act allow for the “mash-up”  of materials including music and photos and cinematographic works to be used in the making of a personal project. See: Section 21.29 Non-Commerical User-Generated Content. The orginal material must be legally obtained, not protected by digital locks or technological protection measures and cited in the work.  The student can then show their work to classmates using a link the the material on that user generated content site.

Can I stream videos in my online course?

Yes, if the videos are publicly accessible and legally posted on the Internet, or if Toronto Metropolitan University has acquired streaming rights.  There are some streamed videos in the library collection. Please check Omni and the Audio Visual digitized resources page. If you want to suggest new items for the library collection, contact your subject librarian. Your subject librarian will make the assessment and liaise with the Library’s Audio Visual department. Digital rights permissions from distributors are usually required, and time to obtain permisison and cost is involved.

Electronic course readings (E-Reserve)

Will the Library look after copyright if I ask them to create electronic course readings for me?

Yes to a large extent. The E-Reserve staff will make sure your requested articles are copyright cleared through the library’s electronic subscriptions or seek permissions from rights owners (usually publishers) when necessary. The Library clears copyright permissions through the Course Reading Service that pays copyright fees for your course. Please send your Course Reading list to: reserve@torontomu.ca or check the E-reserve page to see what you need to do when using this service.

How much are copyright fees and who pays?

Repeat use of the same document will require another copyright permission and payment for each term if it exceeds the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow. Rarely will publishers grant perpetual rights to a document and the fee will vary depending upon how long the material will be used (per semester), or how many students are in a course. Please send your permissionable items to  One Stop Course Reading Service as early as possible in order for the Library to have enough time to clear permission for your readings.

Who is responsible for obtaining copyright clearance for materials posted to my personal or instructor webpage or D2L?

It is your responsibility to clear the copyright for materials you post on your own personal or instructor web pages. If you exceed the Do-it-Yourself Copyright Checking workflow limits for material posted to D2L and do not send your materials to be processed at through the Course Reading Service at reserve@torontomu.ca you are responsible for copyright clearance and payment. There also may be legal consequences for not appropriately clearing copyright.