The Copyright @ Niagara College guide has been created to demystify copyright at Niagara College. The guide provides information and resources to assist the Niagara College community make informed decisions regarding copyright protected materials. The guide does not constitute legal advice.
Your copyright team is available to answer questions and address concerns at copyright@nigaracollege.ca.
We can help:
Visit the Guide to Canadian Copyright for more information and how to register copyright in Canada.
Are you a faculty or staff member? Looking for a quick and easy way to learn more about copyright? Complete the online literacy modules found in Brightspace under My Apps and earn a Certificate of Recognition!
Are you a student? Learn more about how the Canadian Copyright Act applies to you. Complete our "Copy" Right online module today!
Under the Canadian Copyright Act, you may copy parts of a published work for the purposes of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, parody, or satire. This is called Fair Dealing.
How do you know it is Fair Dealing? The following 6 Factors of Fair Dealing of must be considered.
1. Purpose of the dealing. Why are you making the copy? It must be for the purposes of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, parody, or satire.
2. Character of the dealing. How many copies of the published work are you making?
3. Amount of the dealing. How much of the published work are you copying?
4. Alternatives to the dealing. Are there other options available to making a copies, e.g. providing links instead of copying the material or using non-copyrighted equivalents? Visit Niagara College Libraries and Learning Common's OER guide for more information.
5. Nature of the work. Is the work being copied confidential? Is the work intended for a paying clientele?
6. Effect of the dealing. Will the copying of the work potentially compete with the market of the original?
Remember always to cite your sources
Coursepacks
Coursepacks are compilations of selected readings created for a specific course. Course packages are subject to royalties because they are sold to students. Coursepacks must be cleared by the library prior to each submission for copying (generally, publisher permissions must be obtained every time an item is used in a coursepack, regardless if permission has been obtained in the past).
Coursepacks must be submitted to the Library for clearance 6-8 weeks prior to the start of the term in which the coursepack is to be used, i.e., by June 30 for Fall term, October 31 for Winter term, February 28 for Spring term.
Is a coursepack necessary? Have you considered posting links to journal articles in Blackboard instead? This is an ideal solution to ensure copyright compliance, to support Niagara College's sustainability goals, and to help students save money.
Course Manuals
If you are submitting a course manual that consists entirely of material created by Niagara College faculty (including any photos, diagrams, etc.), the following disclaimer must appear on the front page of the manual:
This course manual is the copyright of Niagara College and permission is granted for use within the Niagara College community. The information contained herein is entirely original material created by faculty expressly for this course. No further copying is allowed without permission of the copyright holder.
Note: Have you considered posting the entire manual on Brightspace instead? This is an ideal solution to ensure copyright compliance, to support Niagara College's sustainability goals, and help students save money.