Copyright: Classroom Copies

The following guidelines are excerpted from the Conference Report to the 1976 Copyright Act. They apply to classroom copying in a non-profit educational setting.

A single copy may be made of any of the following by or for a single teacher at his or her individual request for his or her scholarly research or use in teaching or preparation to teach a class:

• A single chapter from a book;
• A single article from a periodical or newspaper;
• A short story, short essay or short poem, whether or not from a collective work;
• A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon or picture from a book, periodical or newspaper.

Multiple copies (not to exceed in any event more than one copy per pupil in a course) may be made by or for the teacher giving the course for classroom use or discussion, provided that:

• The copying meets the tests of brevity and spontaneity
• Meets the cumulative effect test
• Each copy includes a notice of copyright and the appropriate citations and attributions