University Times

Pitt legal counsel Ted Fritz will lead a “Copyright Issues Workshop” tomorrow, Nov. 21, 1-2:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

The session will focus on copyright issues facing Pitt instructors, especially those using electronic materials on the World Wide Web, including CourseWeb (Blackboard). Discussions will cover implications of the federal Teaching, Education And Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act of 2002, recent changes in the fair use doctrine, and Pitt services related to copyright protection.

“Thanks to the web, it’s much easier today to copy materials without permission and post them where other people can also make copies,” Fritz said. “And yet, the basic prohibitions against using copyrighted material are still the same, unless you have permission or unless what you’re doing falls within accepted ‘fair use’ guidelines.”

For example, instructors may not legally re-post web materials onto the Internet without permission. However, links to legitimate resources may be posted.

Pre-registration for Fritz’s workshop is not required, but faculty who plan to attend are asked to contact Melanie Fox at 412/624-2896 or by e-mail at fox@cidde.itt.edu.

Pitt faculty can address copyright questions to Fritz at 412/624-5235 or tfritz@pitt.edu, or to the University’s Copyright Clearance Office at 412/624-1468.