Using Copyrighted Material

Think again before you consider making a transparency or handout of a “Dilbert” cartoon, playing a Kenny G compact disc for background music, videotaping a sketch from “Saturday Night Live” to show during a course; or checking out the motion picture “12 Angry Men” from the video/DVD store and showing it to a group. Don’t do it without checking with your legal department. Doing these things without permission of the publisher or licenser is a potential violation of copyright law. Getting permission can sometimes be worth the trouble, so when it’s important for your learning event, contact the publisher or licenser of the material and ask for permission.

Alternatively, you can make your own cartoons with clipart (available on CDs or on the Internet). Some music stores offer generic, instrumental CDs that do not have copyright implications (and for a learning environment, instrumental music is the only way to go because music with lyrics distracts from the learning environment). And, there are many, many training videos/DVDs that can be rented or purchased specifically for a learning event.