Using copyright material in PowerPoint presentations for educational purposes

When including copyright material for educational purposes in a PowerPoint presentation, for the purposes of showing it in class, giving it out as a hardcopy or displaying it in the LMS do the following:

  1. Limit the amount copied
    • Limitations on the amount of print material copied depends on the type of copyright material included in the PowerPoint. The general rule of thumb with print material is 10% of the total number of pages or 1 chapter whichever is greater.
    • Images from print sources, such as textbooks can be included if they cannot be separately purchased at a 'reasonable price within a reasonable time'.  Check with the Copyright Office for guidance.
    • There is no need to check if an image is available for purchasing at a 'reasonable price within a reasonable time' if the image is from an electronic source.
  2. Attribute all material with a full citation.
  3. Include a copyright warning notice on the PowerPoint. The notice should appear either before the PowerPoint is opened or on the first page of the PowerPoint. Copies of the notices are available here.
  4. PowerPoints placed on the LMS must be restricted to University of Melbourne staff and students, only.

Educational purposes are defined as reproducing or communicating material for a particular course of instruction or for the administration of that course. Educational purposes do not cover the use of copyright material in PowerPoint presentations for public lectures or other purposes. For more information, see the Statutory Licence for educational purposes.