TEACH Requirements
In exchange for unprecedented access to copyright-protected material for distance education, TEACH requires that the academic institution meet specific requirements for copyright compliance and education. For the full list of requirements, refer to the TEACH Act at www.copyright.gov/legislation/archive/.
In order for the use of copyrighted materials in distance education to qualify for the TEACH exemptions, the following criteria must be met:
Textbooks
Generally, copying and posting materials from a textbook is not allowed. Students should purchase the book instead. The exception to this is when copyright royalties are paid through the copyright clearance center or when written publisher permission has been granted.
Journal Articles
Due to strict copyright agreements with library database vendors, you should not download and post the full text of an article into Blackboard. However, if the article is full text in one of the library databases (i.e. Ebsco’s Academic Search Complete or JSTOR) you can link the permanent or persistent URL. For the article to be accessible from off-campus please use the persistent link found by accessing the article through the Foley library Databases.
If the article doesn't have a unique URL or isn't full text, you can arrange to have it put on electronic reserve by contacting the circulation department. The circulation department will find out if copyright royalties need to be paid through the Copyright Clearance Center. If you have already requested and received written permission from a publisher to use parts of a work, then be sure to forward it along to circulation staff.
Websites
As with articles you should not copy and paste content directly from a website, (unless you have gained permission or the information is in the public domain such as a government publication.) You may, however, link to the website with the understanding that links may disappear or change over time. In general, links are not a copyright problem. In fact, linking straight to a work on another website or in a database is often an effective means for avoiding the copyright concerns about reproduction and the like.
Video/Audio/Multimedia
As listed above, links to web pages with media embedded are allowed. It is also possible to order streaming copies of many videos through the library. Commercial media in general may not be converted or digitized unless permission is obtained. The primary exception is for fully online courses. This material is covered by the Teach Act.