[ale] Fair Use question

[Jerald Sheets]

An add-on to this.  CCLI just brokered a deal to allow showing movies. I think that’s for like showing something g to a youth group, etc.  

But you’re right.

Just buy the materials.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 9, 2022, at 3:52 PM, Steve Litt via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
> 
> On Sun, 2022-10-09 at 14:19 -0400, David Jackson via Ale wrote:
>> I'm taking a class at church that is using a $15 textbook.  There's also a
>> $15 workbook that the teacher is making xerox copies of the required pages
>> for each lesson for our classroom discussion.  I bought another copy from
>> the publishers that gives a copy of the text, workbook, and a year's online
>> access to both and also to educational movies for each lesson.
> 
> As I answer these questions, please keep in mind I'm not a lawyer and my opinions
> are not legal advice.
> 
>> 
>> 1. Is it Fair Use to the teacher to make xerox copies of the workbook each
>> week?
> 
> If you already paid for the book, I don't see why the teacher would bother. 
> 
> If you're making the copies to avoid paying for a $15.00 book, in my opinion that
> makes you both a criminal and an incredible cheapskate. I publish eBooks in the
> ballpark of $15.00 an hour, and that's one of the ways I finance my life. If
> somebody photocopies significant parts of my copyrighted and registered work, I
> could hit them up for $10K and stand an excellent chance of prevailing. Photocopying
> a $15.00 book is taking food out of the mouth of the author.
> 
>> 
>> 2. Is it Fair Use for me to make weekly PDFs of the online content if only
>> for my own use?  
> 
> Not fair use, but who's going to know or care?
> 
>> How about for sharing with other class members?
> 
> That's a horse of a different color. Now you're not only committing a personal
> copyright violation, but you're the head of a copyright violation enterprise, and
> you're spreading the word. Expect a letter demanding money. Read up on the rights
> granted by copyright and copyright registration. You'd be playing with fire doing
> this.
> 
>> 
>> 3. Is it Fair Use for me to make copies of the movies for a year?  What
>> about keeping copies beyond the year?
> 
> Not fair use. If you don't publicize the fact that you're doing this, and you never
> give copies to others or upload the movies, who's going to know?
> 
>> 
>> 
>> Okay, this is really small potatoes here I know, but basically the teacher
>> called me a criminal, I thought she was wrong, and after a little googling,
>> now I'm not sure.  So are any of us in this class breaking the Fair Use
>> clause in this class?
> 
> Everyone, don't answer the preceding question. You'd be incriminating yourself.
> 
> Fair use means using snippets for comedy and criticism and the like, not to compete
> with the original work.
> 
> As a professional author I'm quite sensitive about this, and I believe the law is on
> my side.
> 
> SteveT
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