Using copyright material in lectures

The Copyright Act allows the showing or performing of copyright material, e.g. films in tutorials. There are no limits on the types of material that can be shown, an excerpt of a work or an entire work can be shown. The audience must be restricted to students and it must be for educational purposes.

These provisions do not apply to lectures, conferences or other events that are open to the public or are not for educational purposes - see public events.

If there is a need to reproduce the material so it can be shown in lectures such as for a PowerPoint or so as to make a compilation of music or for a compilation of film excerpts, limits will apply - see limits on using copyright material for teaching.

Recording lectures

The provisions that allow any copyright material to be shown in class do not apply when that material is recorded. The restrictions that apply for loading copyright material onto the LMS apply when recording copyright material for a lecture. Certain conditions must be met if including copyright material in a recording. You must:

  1. Limit the types and amounts of material.
  2. Acknowledge all material with a proper and accurate citation. This can be done by including a citation in the PowerPoint or by making an announcement in class.
  3. Display the required copyright warning notices. If the lecture is being recorded via Lecture Capture the notice will be inserted automatically by the Lecture Capture System.
  4. Restrict access to staff and students involved in the subject. Additional access can be granted to external people who assist with teaching or administering the subject via the LMS.
  5. Pause the lecture recording when third-party copyright material is in use, and resume the recording once completed. See this guide for further information.
  6. Remove any copyright material from the lecture recording. See the Lecture Capture - managing recordings guide for further information.

Some copyright material that is shown in class. For example, a purchased DVD of a film or TV show can be shown in class, but it cannot be recorded. In this instance a broadcast copy could be linked to or permission would have to be sought.

If unsure contact the Copyright Office.