Copyright

Situation

Mr. Hamer is tutoring for the functional writing test out of a copyrighted series of workbooks from Houghtin Mifflin. He has 27 students but only 20 books were purchased for his class. The same material is available at the HM web page. She prints enough pages for her kids each morning for today's class.
Mrs. Urdvardy, a music teacher, downloads MP3 files from the Web and uses them to instruct her students in the various kinds of music. She allows students to copy the files and take them home, listen to them and complete a worksheet.

Violation?

In the first scenario, Mr. Hamer is violating copyright laws and guidelines for educators. Teachers are not allowed to make several copies of a workbook as a substitute for purchasing materials. Although he is using the material for educational purposes and only copying small parts, he is still in violation of the copyright. Mrs. Urdvardy did not violate the copyright when she was using the music for instruction. A single copy of a recording can be used for educational purposes. She was in violation when she allowed the students to copy the files. This is an infringement because students copying the material affect the potential income of the artist.

Situation

Mr. Jamweimer, the parent of one of our most intellectual students, has paid to download a wonderful computer software program for his little Einstein. Mr. Jamweimer wants "our school" to be the best and sends a copy of the download file to be used by the students on the computers at school. P.S. all of the kids use it and win Nobel prizes in science, literature, physics, chemistry, and playground.

Violation?

Although Mr. Jamwiemer’s intentions are good, he is violating copyright. He has a license for his own use only; he may not duplicate or dispense the software. In addition, only one copy of commercial software can be made and the backup can only be used if the original stops working. By sending a copy to the school, he is defying the copyright and the license agreement. If the school wants this wonderful program, the school needs to purchase the software.