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Tip #1 Respect Copyright Laws
Although documents, pictures,
audio and other information are all easy to copy from the Internet, it
is your responsibility to understand and respect the laws that protect
the author(s) of electronic information. The copyright laws that
govern information in all formats are complex. It is impossible to
reduce them to a few simple rules. We encourage you to visit the pages
listed here. They have been prepared by legal and other experts on the
subject of copyright and can help you learn to decide for yourself
whether it is appropriate to use electronic information sources in
your work.
The first and most important rule is, "If you have any doubt about the
legality of using copyrighted information, don't use it!"
But please note that this is an area of the law that is changing
rapidly. All materials recommended here are intended to help you make
good decisions. Good decisions related to copyright will always
require critical thinking on the part of the user.
Copyright in an Electronic Environment - An extensive and readable overview of the major terms and concepts related to copyright issues in education.
Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials - Deals with the doctrine of fair use, a special application of the copyright laws in the educational environment.
The Copyright Clearance Center - Specializes in helping users obtain permission to use copyrighted materials. Their web site also contains a selected list of Internet resources on copyright issues.
Copyright and Fair Use - An extensive listing of web documents and sites dealing with copyright issues, compiled by the Stanford University Library.