Copyright law supports the process of scholarship and discovery while at the same time protecting the rights of authors and inventors.  It is this dual purpose that is of particular relevance to those in academia as they pursue scholarship, discovery, and scholarly communication within the context of authors’ rights.

Copyrighted material can be used in teaching and research under one of the following conditions:

1. The work in question is in the public domain.
2. Permission has been granted by the copyright owner or through some other means such as a negotiated license agreement (such as those negotiated with publishers by the University Libraries or the Copyright Clearance Center.)
3. The use falls within the four “fair use” guidelines as defined in Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C or falls under an educational use exemption as defined in Section 100 and as amended by the TEACH Act.

The following sites provide excellent discussions of copyright and academics:

• The University of Minnesota’s site discusses copyright from the perspective of instructors and researchers. 
• The Indiana University/Purdue University's Copyright Management Center provides a checklist for weighing the four factors of fair use.

This information is not official policy of the University of Iowa nor does it constitute legal advice. It is important that educators exercise both the responsibilities and the rights accorded them under the laws of the United States. The information offered here is part of an ongoing campus effort to provide the University of Iowa community with a better knowledge of copyright law and how to work within it to further the best educational practice. Contact Gay Pelzer at the University Office of the General Counsel (335-3696) with questions.