Except where otherwise noted, this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The information obtained from or through this website is provided as guidelines for using works for educational purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
Copyright is a legal framework that protects creators of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, as well as sound recordings, performances and communication signals. This encompasses a wide range of formats including books, articles, CDs, DVDs, software, and websites.
Copyright protection exists as soon as a work is created.
The terms of copyright protection apply differently in various countries. In Canada, copyright protection generally applies to works for the life of the creator and for 70 years, the same as in the United States and Europe. After the copyright expires, a work enters the Public Domain, although copyright protection may still apply to more recent editions, arrangements or adaptations of the work. Also don't assume that everything you find on the Internet is in the public domain just because it is publicly available.
For more information about duration of copyright protection in Canada see the Government of Canada's Guide to Copyright
Use of a work in Canada is governed by the Canadian rules for the duration of the copyright protection.
Camosun College's mission is building a better future for our community with relevant, innovative and applied education. Our mission statement defines our purpose and outlines what we do, who we do it for, and how we accomplish this. As an institution, we value integrity, professionalism, and recognition of achievement.
Students are expected to pursue their educational activities responsibly.
Academic dishonesty includes:
Visit the Student Conduct and Judicial Affairs web page for more information on academic conduct, your rights and responsibilities as students, and other student services.
Plagiarism is the uncredited use of someone else's words or ideas.
As a student, you can incorporate copyright-protected works by experts in your field of study into your assignments.
When you use others' works, you must acknowledge the original author by citing your source. This applies to:
For more information on plagiarism and citing your sources, visit the helpful links below.
Copied and adapted from Copyright for Students from Langara College under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright owners have a number of legal rights, including the right to copy and translate a work and the right to communicate a work to the public by telecommunication. Certain exceptions apply to these rights that are meant to balance copyright holders' interests with broader public interests, primarily the use of works for purposes such as teaching and research.
For more detail, please check Your Copyright page.
The legality of open access materials is determined by the copyright holder. Some of the way holders can choose to disclose their material include a Creative Commons license, copyright free or Conditional Open Access. Unless the owner has set up the material as Open Access, it remains as copyrighted material in any circumstance until it comes to the public domain.
Various Academic services claim themselves as Open Access and their resources are legal. However, many of these services allow their users to upload materials and share. During this process, there is no permission or consent involved from its copyright holders. As a result of this, these sites are essentially File-sharing for books and articles, and are likely to be breaking copyright.
Camosun College supports legitimate Open Resources, but we do not support file-sharing sites which can break copyright.
Students should not share Camosun College school materials on Online services except Camosun College Online Learning Systems.
The Fair Dealing provision in the Copyright Act permits use of a copyright-protected work without permission from the copyright owner or the payment of copyright royalties. To qualify for fair dealing, two tests must be passed:
1. The “dealing” must be for a purpose stated in the Copyright Act;
2. The dealing must be “fair.” In landmark decisions in 2004 and in 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada provided guidance as to what this test means in schools and post-secondary educational institutions. This Fair Dealing Policy applies fair dealing in non-profit K-12 schools and post-secondary educational institutions and provides reasonable safeguards for the owners of copyright-protected works in accordance with the Copyright Act and the Supreme Court.
If you want to photocopy some library books? Do you want to use a news article for your class assignment? Do you want to share class handouts with friends?
Whenever you use or copy copyrighted works while studying at Camosun College, you need to follow Camosun College Fair Dealing Guideline. That means the purpose must be one of 8 purposes stated in the Copyright Act and the amount you want to use must be "fair".
Then what is "fair"? Determining if a use is fair is done on a case-by-case basis. The Supreme Court of Canada outlined six factors to help determine if a particular use (or "dealing") of a copyright-protected work is fair:
Note: A use does not need to satisfy all of these factors do be considered fair.
Copied and adapted from Copyright for Students from Langara College under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Every photocopiers at Camosun in both campuses has Student Guidelines for posting, scanning or copying sticker which shows Fair Dealing Guideline to you.
Please remember you are solely responsible for knowing your rights and responsibilities under the Copyright Act.
If you have any questions or need clarification please contact Copyright Advisor.
1. Teachers, instructors, professors and staff members in nonprofit educational institutions may communicate and reproduce, in paper or electronic form, short excerpts from a copyright-protected work for the purposes of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, satire and parody.
2. Copying or communicating short excerpts from a copyright-protected work under this Fair Dealing Policy for the purpose of news reporting, criticism or review should mention the source and, if given in the source, the name of the author or creator of the work.
3. A single copy of a short excerpt from a copyright-protected work may be provided or communicated to each student enrolled in a class or course:
4. A short excerpt means:
5. Copying or communicating multiple short excerpts from the same copyright-protected work, with the intention of copying or communicating substantially the entire work, is prohibited.
6. Copying or communicating that exceeds the limits in this Fair Dealing Policy may be referred to a supervisor or other person designated by the educational institution for evaluation. An evaluation of whether the proposed copying or communication is permitted under fair dealing will be made based on all relevant circumstances.
7. Any fee charged by the educational institution for communicating or copying a short excerpt from a copyright protected work must be intended to cover only the costs of the institution, including overhead costs.
Copyright protects not only the creators' rights but also the users' rights. If copyright law is written too favorably to copyright holders, it will restrict users' rights and limit the goal of sharing knowledge across society. Therefore, there are always exceptions in copyright. For example, Canadian Copyright Law includes Fair dealing provision to protect users right. There are various exceptions more than Fair Dealing.
A person may use an existing work which has been published or otherwise made available to the public in the creation of a new work, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.21
A person may reproduce the source copy of a work they own or have licensed, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.24
A person may record a program for the purpose of listening to or viewing it later, provided the person:
Copyright Act, Section 29.23
A person may reproduce a work, for a private purpose, provided:
Copyright Act, Section 29.22
The following sections of the Copyright Act list other user's rights:
Exception |
Section |
|---|---|
| Persons with perceptual disabilities | Section 32 |
| News reporting of a public lecture | Section 32.2(1)(c) |
| Public reading of an excerpt from a copyright-protected work | Section 32.2(1)(d) |
| Use of a commissioned photograph | Section 32.2(1)(f) |
| Religious, educational, or charitable performance | Section 32.2(3) |
| Private music copying | Section 80 |
For a concise overview of exceptions to owners' rights for individuals, see pages 84-86 of Canadian Copyright: A Citizen's Guide (2nd ed.) (Murray & Trosow, 2013).
Adapted from Exceptions in Copyright Acts from Langara College under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You have variety choice of using media materials during your study at Camosun for online and offline.
If you have any question regarding using multimedia materials in class, please contact Patsy Scott (Media Librarian).
Are you planning a college event? Do you want to play Movies or Music during the event?
The Copyright Act allows you to play a sound recording or live radio broadcasts in Campus as long as it is for educational or training purposes, not for profit, on Camosun College premises and before an audience consisting primarily of students, faculty or any person who is directly responsible for setting a curriculum for Camosun College.
However, if you want to use music or movies for non-educational purposes, for example, for background music at a club event or a film festival, a license must be obtained.
If you are planning but not sure about copyright and license, looking for help, please check Music for Events and Facilities or contact Copyright & Institutional Repository Technician.
Most of images on the Internet are copyrighted that means you have to follow the same rules as other copyrighted materials when you use images on your assignments or D2L posting.
Here's little more details when you use images from the Internet.
If you have any questions or need clarification please contact Copyright & Institutional Repository Technician.
These websites provide copyright-friendly images you can use freely as long as you abide by any terms of use provided by the owner of the content.
1. Is it legal to download videos online?
2. Where can I find copyright-free videos?
3. May I change the format of a copyrighted film (e.g., digitize a VHS tape)?
4. May I show streaming video in the classroom?
5. May I show DVDs or videos in the classroom?
6. May I play a live television or radio broadcast in class?
7. May I copy a news program and use it in class?
8. May I copy a documentary or other TV programs for use in class?
Creative Commons (CC) is a nonprofit organization that helps overcome legal obstacles to the sharing of knowledge and creativity to address the world’s pressing challenges.
CC provides Creative Commons licenses and public domain tools that give every person and organization in the world a free, simple, and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for creative and academic works; ensure proper attribution; and allow others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.
| Image | Condition | Description |
 |
BY (Attribution) |
Credit must be given to the creator |
 |
SA (Share Alike) |
Adaptations must be shared under the same terms |
 |
NC (Non Commercial) |
Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted |
 |
ND (No Derivatives) |
No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted |
Some content in this guide has been copied and adapted from Creativecommons.org licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
From: How To Attribute Creative Commons Photos by Foter, licensed under CC BY SA 3.0
For example:
How To Attribute Creative Commons Photos by Foter, licensed under CC BY SA 3.0
Alternate Formats are different formats (either printed or electric) of primary documents. The goal of Alternate formats is to guarantees an equal access and opportunity to the information for everyone. Providing alternative formats makes content more accessible for everybody, including individuals with a disability.
Some common alternate formats are:
You may ask your instructors for alternate formats or contact Centre for Accessible Learning
For Students, the Centre for Accessible Learning provides a wide range of services and educational accommodations for students with a documented disability, including general anxiety disorder and depression.
Contact
Phone
Lansdowne: 250-370-3312
Interurban: 250-370-4049
Further detail: Centre for Accessible Learning