CMEC Launches On-Line Copyright Resource for Teachers
The Copyright Consortium of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), has launched the Copyright Decision Tool, an on-line resource developed for teachers to assist with their understanding of copyright. The new Web site — www.copyrightdecisiontool.ca — helps teachers assess when they can use copyright-protected materials without getting copyright permission under the fair dealing provision of the Copyright Act.
Teachers and students today have greater opportunities for learning in the classroom as a result of a Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2012 which clarified what fair dealing means in the classroom. Fair dealing permits teachers to communicate or use “short excerpts” of copyright-protected works for students in their classes without seeking permission from the copyright owner or payment of copyright royalties. Since 2012, the education community in Canada has applied the Fair Dealing Guidelines which provides a description of “short excerpts” based on decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada.