Are there resources for text, images and music on the internet that can be used for educational purposes without clearing copyright?
Yes, there are materials in the public domain or available under a Creative Commons license that can be freely used in your teaching. If you would like to use text, images or music, please:
- Check that Canadian copyright has either expired or the Terms of Use allow a non-commercial or educational use.
- Check the type of Creative Commons licence that applies or the terms of use. Depending upon the license type you may or may not be able to use the image or music as you intend.
- Credit or cite the material you use as indicated, or by using a correct citation style.
- Please note that most Canadian and U.S Government published materials can usually be used without further copyright permission for non-commercial educational use.
You may also be able to use a NEW copyright exception to access material on the Internet:
Section 30.04: Work available through Internet. This exception will allow you as an instructor at a non-profit educational institution to copy, play in class, or distribute to students materials found on the Internet, as long as:
-
- The material was posted legitimately (i.e. by or with the consent of the Copyright owner).
- There is no clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use of the content. If you are unsure about what constitutes a clearly visible notice please contact copyrt@torontomu.ca.
- There is no technological protection measure preventing access to the material or preventing copying of the material (e.g. password protected material for example).
- You acknowledge the author & website.
How to Find Resources
Check the Open Access Educational Resources Guide for more information on how to find text, images and other resources that you can freely use in your courses.