Copyright 4 Educators (AUS)

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Part 1 - Case Study 3

Key words: teacher’s use of copyright materials, exceptions, licence, blanket licence, compulsory licences, contract, Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Technological Protection Measures (TPM), anti-circumvention of DRM/TPM


Francesca is a teacher at an under-resourced school. The school has limited access to textbooks but recently the school has been generously donated 2 smart boards and 10 DVD players by a successful ex pupil.

Francsesca often:

  • makes photocopies of chapters of text books to hand out to her class;
  • downloads images from the internet to put on a smart board to present to her class;
  • copies music from her own CDs to include in PowerPoint presentations to her class;
  • makes her own resources such as a compilation of short film clips copied from DVDs and television broadcasts to assist in her teaching.

She is not sure whether she is allowed to do any of the above under copyright law and is concerned that she may be breaking the law.

Questions (to be answered by each group)

Note: If you need additional information to answer any of these questions, identify that information and how it would influence your responses.

  1. Is Francsesca permitted to make multiple photocopies of a chapter of a textbook and in what circumstances? Consider any exceptions or compulsory (ie blanket) licence schemes that may apply.
  2. Is she allowed to download and copy images from the internet to present on an interactive smartboard to her class?
  3. Is she allowed to include copied music recordings in her powerpoint presentations to her class?
  4. Can she make a compilation of short extracts from DVDs of films and/or copy broadcasts from television to teach her class?
  5. Is she permitted to circumvent any technological protection measures attached to the DVD films?


Questions to assist your understanding (not to be answered)

  1. What is a copyright licence?
  2. What is a blanket licence and/or or compulsory licence?
  3. What is a technological protection measure?
  4. Is there a law against anti circumvention in your jurisdiction? If so what educational activities might it prevent?
  5. How are exceptions available to students different from those available to teachers?

Task Discussion