Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Georgia State University Copyright Case (Cambridge University Press V. Becker) And What It Means For Librarians, Judson L. Strain

Faculty Scholarship – Library Science

The Federal District Court in the Georgia State University copyright case (Cambridge University Press v Becker) constructed a carefully defined, but expansive Fair Use “safe harbor”. Academic libraries and not-for-profit educational institutions can use this “safe harbor” to make copies of copyright-protected materials and distribute them to students in a carefully controlled manner. The decision requires safeguards to help ensure that copies do not get disseminated beyond their intended audience. It also gives more flexibility in cases where publishers do not make smaller excerpts readily available.

The Georgia State decision has been reported as allowing up to 10%,or …

Are Student Affairs Professionals Educators? Student Affairs And The Scope Of The Educational Exemption Of Copyright Law, Dallas Long

Dallas Long

Copyright is a critical, emerging issue in American higher education. Copyright restricts how educators use copyrighted materials in teaching activities. Although the fair use doctrine and the educational exemption in U.S. copyright law provide exceptions for educators, student affairs professionals might not meet the standards of the educational exemption. This paper serves as a primer on U.S. copyright law, the fair use doctrine, and the educational exemption. Analyses of case law suggest student affairs professionals should rely on the fair use doctrine rather than the educational exemption when using copyrighted materials for educational purposes.