COPYRIGHT POLICY

It is the intent of the St. Tammany Parish School Board to follow the provisions of the current copyright laws and Congressional guidelines.

The Board realizes that unlawful copying and use of copyrighted materials encourages an attitude of disrespect for the law, contributes to higher costs for materials, and decreases the incentives for development of quality educational materials.

The Board directs parish employees to follow all provisions of Title 17 of the United States Code, entitled “Copyrights” and other relative federal legislation and guidelines related to the duplication, retention, and use of copyrighted materials.
The Board also directs that:

1. Unlawful copies of copyrighted materials may not be produced on Board-owned equipment.
2. Unlawful copies of copyrighted materials may not be used with Board-owned equipment, within Board-owned facilities, or at Board-sponsored functions.
3. The legal and/or insurance protection of the Board will not be extended to employees who unlawfully copy and use copyrighted materials.

Employees who make and/or use copies of copyrighted materials in their jobs are expected to be familiar with published provisions regarding fair use and public display, and to be able to provide their supervisor, upon request, that justification under Sections 107, 110 or 117 of USC 17 for copies that have been made and/or used.

Employees who use copyrighted materials which do not fall within fair use of public display guidelines will be able to prove that the materials meet one of the following guidelines:

1. The materials have been purchased from an authorized vendor by the individual employee or the Board and a record of the purchase exists.
2. The materials copied are covered by a licensing agreement between the copyright owner and the Board or the individual employee.
3. The materials are being reviewed or demonstrated by the user to reach a decision about future purchase or licensing and a valid agreement exists which allows for such use.

Though controversy regarding interpretation of the copyright laws exists, this policy represents a sincere effort on the part of the Board to operate lawfully. A copy of this policy and copyright guidelines will be placed in the teacher handbook of each parish school.

All copy machines, video-cassette recorders, and computers must be labeled with the statement of copyright knowledge as distributed by the St. Tammany Parish School Board:

USE OF THIS EQUIPMENT CONSTITUTES
KNOWLEDGE OF AND ADHERENCE TO THE
U.S. COPYRIGHT LAWS

GUIDELINES FOR USE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS

Printed Materials Copyright Guidelines

Video Tape Copyright Guidelines

Computer Software Copyright Guidelines

Music Copyright Guidelines

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C