The TEACH ACT

(Copyright: Text Only Version)

The TEACH (Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization) Act was passed in 2002 and amends sections of the Copyright Act of 1976. It gives both rights and responsibilities to instructors of distance education and the non-profit educational institutions they are affiliated with.

Summary of the TEACH Act:

Prior to the TEACH Act, instructors were allowed to use copyrighted material in face-to-face sessions with students. With the advent of distance education, these rules didn’t apply to the digital classroom. Now, under the TEACH Act and with certain restrictions, instructors are allowed to use materials that they would have in face-to-face sessions in distance courses without copyright infringement. Instructors are allowed to digitize portions of material for distance education instruction. However, in order to comply with the TEACH Act, institutions must meet many requirements. First, the institution must have a policy on copyright and a way to ensure that materials are made available to only students enrolled in a course. Students must be informed that the materials are copyrighted, they that may not be downloaded, revised, copied, or distributed. Under the TEACH Act, an instructor cannot digitize material that is already available in a digital format or copyrighted digitally and specifically for instruction.

TEACH Act Resources:

http://www.fac-mhec.csm.cc.md.us/resources/TeachAct.html

http://www.copyright.iupui.edu/dist_learning.htm

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/scc/legislative/teachkit/overview.html

http://www.fsu.edu/~acaffair/teach_act/

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/teachact.htm

http://www.vraweb.org/teachact.htm