A work enters the public domain only after copyright expires, or if the creator has designated the work as such.
Most material found on the Internet is protected just like any other material (unless otherwise indicated). Text, charts, graphs, tables, photographs, music, movies, graphics, postings to news groups, blogs, e-mail messages, images, video clips, and computer software do not lose copyright protection simply because they are posted on the Internet.
However, as outlined in the Copyright and Teaching Infographic, educators are allowed to copy, distribute, communicate, or perform, works found on the Internet to their students, provided that:
- The work is properly cited (e.g., source, author, performer, maker, and/or broadcaster),
- The work is publicly available (e.g., access is not restricted by a Technological Protection Measure),
- There is no clearly visible notice (not just the © copyright symbol alone) prohibiting the intended use, and
- It is apparent that the work was not made available in violation of the copyright owner’s rights.
Note: The information obtained from or through this website is provided as guidelines for using works for educational purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Contact copy@sfu.ca with any questions. The Copyright Officer is not a lawyer or legal expert in copyright law and is able to provide a professional and not a legal opinion. A professional opinion is offered for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
This work, the Simon Fraser University Copyright website, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise noted.