Copyright and Intellectual Property
The following is a list of websites that provide helpful information about copyright and intellectual property. If you have a specific question, you might want to start with the first website:
The University of Texas Crash Course in Copyright.
The TEACH Act - Copyright and Distance Learning American Library Association. The Teach Act specifically addresses distance learning and copyright as it pertains to the Fair Use Doctrine. This American Library Association site lists best practices for Blackboard instructors as they pertain to the Teach Act.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, information from the University of Hartford on FERPA, the federal regulations governing student privacy information.
Trademark and Other Intellectual Property Resource Guide, a great repository for anything related to intellectual property: trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, and patents. The copyright section has a great test for you to take to see how much you know about your right to use materials for teaching and learning: click "Test on Copyright" from within the above-named link to access it.
Creative Commons and OER (Open Education Resources), both Creative Commons and OER battle copyright issues from a different angle: making it 'legal' to share, remix, and reuse. From the Creative Commons website: "Creative Commons helps you share your knowledge and creativity with the world. Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation."
From the OER website: "The network that brings together 50,022 OER, tools for sharing curriculum with the world, and news and training on the brave new world of open education."