We recognize that WKU faculty utilize audio, images and videos as part of their teaching and instructional material for their courses. However, we must be mindful of the copyright implications of doing so. In this page, we provide a brief summary of the relevant copyright laws before listing options for procuring streaming or digitized content for class usage.
US Copyright law (Title 17 of the United States Code) exists to protect the intellectual property of copyright holders. Section 110(1) permits display and performance of copyrighted material in a face-to-face classroom. Section 110(2) covers display and performance of copyrighted material in online classes. These laws were updated in 2002 under the TEACH Act, which provides guidelines for the transmission of digital content. Fair Use (section 107 of the code) makes exceptions to copyright restrictions based on four factors:
WKU Libraries currently licenses streaming video through the collections listed at the top of this page. If you can't find the film you want, request a license for any film in their catalog (Kanopy complete catalog) (Swank complete catalog), or contact your subject librarian to see if the publisher offers a streaming license.
The Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) will only digitize a DVD if a digital version is not available for license or purchase (or, if the digital option available has technological limitations that prevent it from being used for distance education) with the following restrictions:
To request digitization, please contact CITL well in advance (at least a month prior) of the date needed for student use.