When addressing copyrights, most ofthe literature in our field focuses on using copyrighted pieces in our learningprograms.
But marking the copyright in ourown work often creates just as much confusion for instructional designers, manyof whom do not have formal training in doing so. Some instructional designersignore the issue as unnecessarily bureaucratic. Unfortunately, ignorance of therules offers no defense for breaking them.
Other instructional designers gooverboard in indicating copyrights, unnecessarily annoying their learners inthe process with excessive marking.
So this article offers basicguidance in indicating copyrights in eLearning programs by explaining whatcopyright is, how to write a basic copyright statement, and how to handle somecommon variations of the basic statement.
What is copyright?
Copyright protects a work fromunauthorized copying. That is, copying a work, much less someone re-using partor all of it in another work without the written permission of the copyrightholder, violates copyright law. The term for such unauthorized use of the workof others without permission is plagiarism.Copyright protects against plagiaris
In the most technical sense, yourlearning materials are protected even without indicating it. But indicating acopyright provides more protection should you need to enforce it. Basically, ithelps lay a well-deserved guilt trip on a would-be copyright infringer. Thecopyright date also tells all people using the eLearning program itspublication date so they can assess whether it is up-to-date.
Where do you place acopyright statement?
To indicate a copyright in an eLearningprogram:
- Do so at the bottom of the title screen of theprogram. As an alternative, place the copyright statement on an “About this Program”page.
- Do not place a copyright statement on everyscreen of a sequential learning program. It irritates learners without addingprotections.
- When developing re-usable modules (ones thatmight appear in several learning programs, possibly as the first module insome), consider placing a copyright statement at the bottom of the title screenof each module, to ensure that the copyright always appears to learners thefirst time they start a course.
- Do place a copyright statement on every screenof an informational Website that learners use as a reference — they may read justone or two pages of the Website at a time.
How do you write abasic copyright statement?
Write a basic copyright statement likethis:
| © | Copyright. | Name of the copyright holder. | 20XX. | All rights reserved. |
The copyright symbol. Note that the c within parentheses (c) works when the system cannot reproduce the copyright symbol.
| The word “Copyright.”
|
| Year in which the work is copyrighted. | (Unless the rights are not reserved, which is not a bright thing to do. In fact, “rights” are what the 2007-2008 strike by writers in Hollywood was about.) |
Examples:
- © Copyright.Linda Educator. 2012. All rights reserved.
- © Copyright.MegaCorporation. 2012. All rights reserved.
How do you indicatelimits on the use of copyrighted materials?
In some instances, you might placelimits on the use of content, such as listing the authorized and unauthorizeduses of the content. In these instances, you indicate these limits in thecopyright statement. For example:
Reproducing anddistributing this material without the written permission of MegaCorporation isprohibited.
Do you need to includea copyright statement on open-source content?
Yes — you still need to include acopyright statement on open-source content. That’s because not all open-source content offersunlimited uses.
Open-sourcecontent refersto learning material in which you might have an interest in activelyencouraging others to copy and adapt for use in their organizations.
But open source refers to a class ofwork that has fewer restrictions; many still place some restrictions on its use,such as allowing others to use the work for educational purposes, provided thatit is properly cited.
In terms of writing the copyrightstatement, rather than say “All rights reserved,” indicate which rights youhave made available to others and which ones you have retained. For example,you might write:
© Copyright.Linda Educator. 2012. May be used for educational purposes without writtenpermission but with a citation to this source.
Where can I learn moreabout copyright statements?
To learn how to register a copyright,consult the official Website for the federal government in your country. Hereare some links to the largest entities.
- In the US, visit https://www.copyright.gov
- In Canada, visit https://strategis.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/cp/copy_gd_regis-e.html
- In the European Union, visit https://www.copyrightcode.eu (Editor’s Note: EU copyright law is stillevolving and “harmonizing”)
- In the People’s Republic of China, visit https://www.chinaiprlaw.com/english/laws/laws10.htm
To learn about writing copyrightstatements for open source material, visit the Creative Commons Website: https://www.creativecommons.org .
You may also want to review thearticle by Ronald Yu, “BeingAn eLearning Developer Doesn’t Excuse You From Being Careful,” published inLearning Solutions Magazine, August8, 2009.
