Library Policies: Multimedia

The Educational Multimedia Fair Use Guidelines (courtesy, Penn State University) specify how much of copyright-protected sources may be included in course-related work. Use of larger portions requires permission from copyright owners. Users of multimedia products may prepare a total of three copies. One of the copies is used for preservation and replacement purposes, one may be placed on library reserve. Fair Use status expires two years after the first instructional use of a particular multimedia product.

How much of a multimedia product quantifies fair use?

• Motion Media - Up to 10% or 3 minutes of a source, whichever is less.
• Text - Up to 10% or 1000 words of a source, whichever is less.An entire poem of less than 250 words, but no more that 3 poems or excerpts by one poet. No more than 5 poems or excerpts from one anthology.
• Music, Lyrics, Music Video - Up to 10% but not more than 30 seconds total from an individual work.
• Illustrations, photographs - No more than 5 images by one artist or photographer. No more than 10% or 15 images, whichever is less, from any single published work.
• Numerical Data Sets - Up to 10% or 25,000 fields or cell entries, whichever is less.
• Internet Sources - Though it can be difficult to determine what is copyright protected and what is public domain, the multimedia creator is responsible for adhering to copyright law. Further information on fair use for online video can be found at the Center for Social Media.

Computer programs

The owner of a copy of a program may make another copy or adaptation when:

• It is an essential step to utilize that program in conjunction with a machine, i.e., to load it on a hard disk, to transfer from one computer language to another or to convert from one size disc to another.
• It is for archival (backup) purposes.

The lending of a lawfully made copy of a computer program by a nonprofit educational institution to another like institution or to its faculty, staff and students does not constitute rental, lease, or lending for direct or indirect commercial purposes under Section 109(b)(1)(A) of the Copyright Law. The lending is only for temporary use and not for copying.