What if I hand out copies of my PowerPoint slides and there are copyright protected images/material on the slides?

SFU instructors own copyright in their lectures, and students own copyright in their presentations and assignments, as per SFU Policy R30.03 Intellectual Property Policy, but you may not own the copyright to all of the content within your lecture or presentation. Many educational uses of copyright protected materials are allowed for through fair dealing and educational exceptions to the Copyright Act. However, what you can display in the classroom may be different from what you can distribute to students.

It is important that access to the material is limited to the students enrolled in the course and that the guidelines outlined on the Copyright and Teaching Infographic are respected if the slides will be handed out rather than just displayed in the classroom. If you need to make use of a greater volume of material than that which is permitted through the fair dealing policy or other exceptions, you must:

1. Remove copyright materials from the slides before creating the handouts,

2. Request that SFU’s Copyright Officer evaluate whether a particular instance of copying or communication of a copyright-protected work is permitted under fair dealing or another exception, or

3. Seek express written permission from the copyright holder to copy and communicate that content. Be sure to keep a copy of any permission you receive.