Instructors and the University have a shared responsibility to ensure that copyright is respected when making use of materials in teaching.
You may upload content to a learning or content management system that is password protected or otherwise restricted to students of the university (such as LEARN) if the material falls into one of the following categories:
- You own the copyright in the material (e.g., your course notes);
- The material was copied under a Copyright Act exception, such as the Fair Dealing or Educational Institutions exceptions;
- The material is subject to a Library licence that allows use in LEARN;
- Terms of Use of the source allows such use;
- The material is in the public domain (copyright protection usually expires 70 years after the death of the creator);
- The material has an open licence, such as a Creative Commons licence;
- The material is a very small amount, such as a quote; or
- You have received permission from the copyright holder for such use.
In all cases, the content must be legal/legitimate copies. If you have questions about the legitimacy of the content, see FAQ 1.15 or contact copyright@uwaterloo.ca.
If you have questions about whether your material meets one of these requirements, please consult the Copyright Guide for Instructors or contact copyright@uwaterloo.ca. If you would like to gain a better understanding of copyright check out the self-registration course in LEARN, Copyright Overview for Waterloo Instructors and Staff.