Support from FASE's Education Technology Office

Ensure copyright compliance

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When using content online/remotely, copyright usually remains similar to the use outlined for in person courses. There are exceptions (you can contact your local librarian), and fortunately, there are resources (linked below) that help ensure that you are using content within your class fairly and equitably.

Do you have a specific copyright question? Submit your question Angela Henshilwood ([email protected]) at the  Engineering and Computer Science Library for case-by-case support. You can include the specific resource or scenario you are thinking to use and get feedback on how to implement it safely, reliably, and with proper attribution.

Are you shifting your materials to online/remote and are worried about copyright? There are a lot of pedagogical and technical issues that make the shift from in-person to online teaching challenging, but for once, copyright is not a big additional area of worry! Most of the legal issues are the same in both contexts.

  1. If it was okay to do in class, it is often okay to do online – especially when your online access is limited to the same enrolled students.
  2. You can continue to apply the University of Toronto Fair Dealing Guidelines in the online context.

(The above resources are provided and maintained by the University of Toronto Libraries.)

Below are resources specifically related to teaching (online and in person). See the overview of Copyright Resources on the UTL website, including resources to support research.

Produced by the University of Toronto legal counsel, this Copyright FAQ provides in depth information on copyright issues. 

1.2. Use of Audiovisual Material on Campus

This policy outlines the use of audiovisual material, including FAQs. Created in consultation with the Office of the Provost, the University of Toronto legal counsel, outside counsel, and the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office.  

This U of T Copyright Policy has the following basic objectives:

  • To determine the ownership of copyright works created by members of the University community.
  • To foster the creation and development of copyright works in support of the University’s academic mission.
  • To provide for the equitable sharing of the revenues arising from copyright works between authors and the University.

Did you know there's an E-CORE Quick Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons Licensing? This guide provides an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and educational material licensing. It also provides links to further articles for more information drawing from universities and organizations across Canada. 

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