Fair Use

• U.S. copyright law has always permitted copyrighted works to be used for purposes like news reporting, research and teaching. This is known as the fair-use doctrine. Although there are significant limitations, working with copyrighted materials when teaching is generally considered fair use.
  
  

Photocopying Guidelines

• While teachers can generally reproduce copyrighted materials for use in teaching, there are limitations. In a 1976 agreement, representatives of publishers and writers agreed that fair use for teaching was permissible as long as the works copied were brief, at the spontaneous inspiration of the teacher and wasn't done so often as to have a negative cumulative effect.
  
  

California Education Code

• There are two specific references to copyright law in California's Education Code. Section 17553 allows school districts to license any copyrighted material they hold to other public agencies for a nominal fee. Sections 32360-32361 prohibit school districts from spending any money or employee time to secure individual copyrights.