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CELT Copyright

Let's face it, there are times when showing a video in class is the best way to illustrate a concept or spark a discussion about a particular topic. Before online instruction this could be achieved by simply putting the video in a player and pressing play. However, copyright law is restrictive in terms of streaming videos and digitizing content for classroom use. Currently, there are two options that you can choose that will ensure compliance with copyright laws:

  1. You assign a video and your students must rent it to watch it.
  2. You assign a video, the Clayton State library has it as part of their holdings, and students can check it out to watch it.

Beyond these options, things get complicated. The bottom line:

  • You/We cannot digitize, stream or store ANY movies, television episodes or digital media that is copyright protected or commercially licensed without permission from the copyright holder.
  • Once permission has been obtained, the link to the video or digital media must be contained within the D2L course website so that it is only available to students who are currently registered for your course.
  • Any movies or digital media that is found on CSU servers will be removed unless permission from the copyright owner is on file at the CELT.
  • We do encourage the use of outside multimedia but please link directly to the source rather than uploading a copy to TechSmith Relay and/or Kaltura. Any YouTube videos found on the Relay server will be removed. Kaltura has an option to upload YouTube videos to the service, which is copyright compliant.

If you would like to use videos or digital media in your course, you are responsible for obtaining the permissions. In some cases we can digitize short clips that you can use to stimulate discussion or illustrate a concept or idea.

To help you determine when you need permission, we have developed a checklist to guide your decision.

If you are not sure if a work is copyright protected, please search the US Gov Copyright Office database.

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