Overview
Bow Valley College must follow Canadian copyright legislation, and international copyright agreements. Copying of materials by College faculty, staff or students, in any format, is subject to certain limits and restrictions.
The use of copyrighted works at Bow Valley College is enabled by:
- the Canadian Copyright Act, that contains a Fair Dealing exception and educational exceptions.
- RGO Library and Learning Commons database licenses for journals, articles, videos etc.
- permissions secured from authors, publishers, and other copyright owners as required.
- using works that are in the Public Domain.
- using works that are published with Creative Commons License.
- using works that are published as Open Access or Open Educational Resources (OER).
We have created guides and forms to help you navigate copyright. Also you may find the answers you need on the resources listed below:
Fair Dealing
Fair Dealing Guidelines
Introduction to Copyright
Permission Flow Chart
Copyright FAQ's
Copyright Resources
Guides
APA Style Guide
All copyrighted works require citations. Check out the RGO Library and Learning Commons
Copyright Matters
A question and answer guide for teachers, published by Council of Ministers of Education
Copyright Toolkit for Member Institutions of Colleges and Institutes Canada
This resource was prepared by CICan for workshops that were held in 2014. It works towards simplifying a complex subject with examples that may relate directly to classroom activities.
Course Readings
Information on how you can use additional reading materials in the classroom and for your online students.
Instructional Materials
Instructors use many resources in the classroom. Our Instructional Materials guide will help you with any copyright questions you may have.
Images, Figures, and Illustrations
Photos, graphs, charts, and other types of images are important resources in our course materials. See our guide for ways you can find images you can use.
Showing Films/Videos
Under an exception in the Copyright Act, instructors may show a film or video to students on the premises of the College for educational purposes. The film or video must be from a legal copy of the film.A link to a legal copy of the film/video may be provided to online students. The RGO Library and Learning Commons has a large collection of videos and films available online via several licensed databases. Check their website for the listings.
Music in the Classroom
Musical works usually involve a musical score and the lyrics. Copyright applies to both and may be held by different copyright owners.Performing Music
Performing music in the classroom may include playing a sound recording or having an individual perform a musical work in the classroom. An exception in the Copyright Act permits the playing of or performance of music provided it is:
- before an audience consisting primarily of students, instructors, or any person who is directly responsible for setting curriculum for the educational institution;
- it is a legal copy of the sound recording.
- The performer will hold the copyright to their performance and must consent to any recording of their performance. In addition, if the performance is being recorded, copyright permission to use the music must be obtained.
Copying Music
Copying music for distribution in the classroom or posting on the online website must follow the Fair Dealing Guidelines.
RGO Library and Learning Commons Databases
The library has many licenses to databases. With these databases, instructors and learners can access journals, newspapers, e-books, videos, etc. Instructors and learners can use these resources in the classroom and online. As they are licensed, you don't need any more copyright permission. When using these resources, ensure you include citations.
Submitting copyright requests
You can submit your copyright requests to the Copyright Office. You can do this by using the Copyright Evaluator. If you have any questions about copyright, please contact the Copyright Office.
