INT D 710: Ethics and Academic Citizenship

Copyright Module Case Study

 

The following is a case study that will help you further explore concepts that are presented in the copyright module videos  and , as well as the connected .

 
  1. Alex is a graduate student at the º£½ÇÉçÇø and is writing their thesis. As a conscientious student and writer, Alex knows copyright is important but doesn’t know much about it. They wonder if their thesis will be protected by copyright and if that matters.

Use the Introduction to Copyright Law section of the Copyright Office website to respond to Alex as to whether their thesis will be protected by copyright and if they have to apply in any way for it to be protected.

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  1. Alex also wonders how copyright intersects with their role as a Teaching Assistant (TA). Specifically, as Alex begins to plan a reading list, they wonder what course materials might require a copyright review.

Use the For Instructors page on the Copyright Office website to answer Alex’s question as to which of the course materials require a Copyright Review. In addition, explore this page for other ways that being a TA may require knowledge of copyright.

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  • This 3-step summary helps Alex determine whether the course materials assigned to students in the course require a Copyright Review.
  • The following  gives you an overview of items on the For Instructors Page.
  • Alex should also consider taking the Graduate Teaching + Learning Program for Teaching Assistants in which Level 1 includes a Copyright in the Classroom lesson.

 

  1. Alex is preparing their thesis. They have had an introduction to copyright and know that copyright should be considered in preparing their thesis. They want to avoid a copyright infringement scenario.

Use the For Graduate Students page on the Copyright Office website to help Alex figure out which steps they should take to avoid potential copyright infringement scenarios.

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The Copyright Office suggests that graduate students use the following 3 steps to help avoid potential copyright infringement scenarios. More detailed information can be found on the For Graduate Students page on the Copyright Office website.

  • Determine who holds the copyright in the content in your thesis.
  • Identify acceptable uses of content for which you do not hold the copyright.
  • Seek permission to include content that is not otherwise available for use in your thesis.

 

  1. By following the steps seen above, Alex realizes that there is content in their thesis in which they do not hold the copyright. This third-party content includes:
  • a poem published 300 years ago;
  • an artwork created in 2024; and
  • short quotes from scholarly articles that are properly cited.

Use the For Graduate Students page on the Copyright Office website to help Alex figure out the copyright considerations for the inclusion of this content.

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CONTENT

CONSIDERATION

A poem published  300 years ago

Given when this poem was published, it is most likely in the public domain and therefore free for everyone to use without permission or payment.

“In Canada, generally the term of copyright lasts for "the life of the author, the remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and a period of 70 years following the end of that calendar year" (Copyright Act, s. 6). This term was increased from life plus 50 years effective 30 December 2022, without retroactive effect.”

Alex may also want to consult the Canadian Copyright Term and Public Domain Flowchart.

 

An artwork
created in 2024

It is likely that this work is protected by copyright. Some initial questions Alex should ask include:

  • Is there a clearly indicated license or terms of use that covers the reuse of the artwork?
  • Could Alex’s use of this artwork reasonably be considered Fair Dealing?

If the answers to these questions don’t allow Alex to include this artwork, they may want to seek permission from the artist to include it in their thesis. 

Alex must include any applicable copyright permission letter in their final thesis submission, as per Section 5.2 of GPS Thesis Preparation and Requirements.

Short quotes from scholarly articles that are properly cited

In this case, it is likely that the use of short quotes consists of an insubstantial part of the work, therefore Alex is free to reproduce the short quotes in their thesis. 

However, Alex should consult the Substantiality page on the Copyright Office website when considering what might count as a substantial or insubstantial part of a work.

 

  1. Alex is also a Research Assistant (RA). The research that they are doing with their RA supervisor is directly relevant to their thesis, and they are thinking about potentially incorporating some of that research into their thesis. Alex now also wonders if using this research and other people’s content would be allowed in their thesis.

Use the For Graduate Students page on the Copyright Office website to respond to Alex as to what they should consider in using work that they have created in their role as a RA.

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  1. Alex is now ready to submit their thesis and has filled out the º£½ÇÉçÇø Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License. They have decided they also want to apply a Creative Commons (CC) license to their thesis, but aren’t sure which one to apply and how to apply it.

Use the Copyright Office page for Creative Commons to help Alex decide which CC license is right for them and how to apply it.

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