Copyright © Equantz Technology Inc. 2024-2034
The information created by the organizational units of the Equantz Technology Inc. (“Equantz” or “SESDS” of “School”) on the Equantz’s computing systems is the property of the Equantz. Unless otherwise specified, permission to include URL references to this information for non-commercial purposes is granted provided that each such reference acknowledges that the information resides at and is the property of the Equantz.
Permission to use
For permission to refer to Equantz information for other purposes, or to use the information in any other way, requests must be directed to the maintainer(s) of the information, if designated, or in writing to:
- Director of Operations
- Equantz Technology Inc.
- 4211 No. 3 Rd,
- Richmond, BC
- V6X 2C3
- Canada
Limitation of responsibility
The Equantz assumes no responsibility for material created on its computing systems by any individual for personal purposes. Requests for permission to refer to or to use such material must be directed to the individual.
Guide for Instructors
The following guide will help you understand when you require copyright permission, and when you do not. In all cases, the content you use must be a legal/legitimate copies. If you have questions about the legitimacy of the content, see KSPACE or contact info@equantz.com.
Content You Can Use Without Permission
Links to legal content
As long as you are linking to legal and legitimate content, linking is okay. For an explanation of content legitimacy and legality, see KSPACE. When linking to a Library licensed resources, you can use the make a link to licensed resources page to help you make links that will guide participants to authenticate with the Library system off campus. Linking also helps the Library accurately track usage of licensed resources. Usage is just one of the ways the Library evaluates the value of a particular resource.
Content in the Public Domain
Works that are in the public domain, i.e., they are no longer protected by copyright (in Canada, US, UK and European copyright protection generally expires 50 years after the death of the creator). Note that in 2022 there may be changes to this timeline with the ratification of the Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA).
Content with an Open License
Creators may assign an open license (such as a Creative Commons license) or specific terms of use to a work that allows you to use the work given that you follow the conditions outlined. For example, many open access articles are assigned a Creative Commons license that allows users to reuse content from the article as long as the use of the work attributes the original creator. Remember! Just because a work is freely available on the internet does not mean that it is in the public domain or that it is openly licensed.
Insubstantial amounts of content
When you want to use part of a work, copyright only applies when the amount you want to use is substantial. This means that when you are using an insubstantial, or very small amount, such as a quote from a work, you do not need to ask permission. If you are unsure if the amount you wish to copy is insubstantial, please contact info@equantz.com.
Content copied under a Copyright Act exception
Works covered by another exception in the Copyright laws (US), Copyright Act (UK), Copyright Act (Canada) and Copyright Act (EU) (“Copyright Act”), such as Fair Dealing, may be copied without permission. The Fair Dealing Advisory represents the School’s guidelines for using Fair Dealing in the classroom. There are other exceptions in the Act, such as the ‘Work available through the Internet’ section of the Educational Institutions exception, are described further on the Other Copyright Act exceptions page.
Library Licensed Materials, According To The Terms Of The License
Library licenses allow you to use electronic materials (such as journals, books, and conference proceedings) with participants in specified ways. Some license agreements make express allowances for use in eJournal reserves, academic content, and interlibrary lending. Other licenses may prohibit one or more of these activities. You can find the list of usage rights for a particular resource by following the instructions on the finding usage rights page. If you have questions about a particular resource, please contact info@equantz.com.
Materials With Permissible Site Terms
Site terms, such as “Terms of Service” or “Terms and Conditions” may be easily scrolled through or passed over. However, use of a website or their services can act as a legal agreement between you and the site/platform. This may dictate what you can and cannot do with their content, and how you may do it.
Carefully read through the Terms and Conditions if you wish to use content from a website. If you are unsure how to navigate the Terms and Conditions, you can always contact info@equantz.com for assistance.
Works That May Be Copied Only With Permission
Substantial portions of any work not in the public domain, without a Creative Commons license, not covered under another exception in the Copyright Act, or for which the School has no other license, may be communicated or copied only with the express permission of the copyright holder.
Staff at the Library and at the online store can apply for permission on your behalf when you take advantage of the eJournal Reserves or Academic content services; more information is available on the Service and resources for teaching page.
Note: If you wish to copy a work for which permission is required, you must get such permission before making the copy(s) and retain a written or email copy of the permission. If your right to make the copy is questioned at a later time, you will need to show evidence that you made the copy with permission from the copyright owner.
Learn More – Learn Course, Workshops, Frequently Asked Questions
The Copyright Overview for Instructors and Staff course is available on Fellow program for self-enrollment. This Fellow course consists of over 30 brief modules, each followed by a thesis. The modules provide an introduction to copyright as it applies in a School setting, with focus on copyright in teaching. The final module provides SESDS-specific copyright resources and services. The course is available by clicking on “Self-Registration” on the top navigation bar of your Fellow homepage and selecting “Copyright Overview for SESDS Instructors and Staff” from the list of available courses (course code: Copyright_Overview). This course is based on the Open Copyright Course, created by SESDS legal team.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Frequently Asked Questions provides answers to a number of questions related to classroom/teaching use.
How can I tell if the materials I find online are legal copies?
Figuring out if the content you want to use was legally posted online can be difficult. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when assessing content that will help you make a more informed decision. If you are having difficulty figuring out if the content you want to use is a legal copy, please contact info@equantz.com.
Keep the following in mind
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. For example, if you find an entire documentary uploaded to YouTube, or an entire Textbook uploaded to an individual’s blog, it’s almost certainly not a legal copy. The copyright owner would have had to give permission for the content to be posted that way, and in these cases there is no motivation for them to do so as it would completely negate the need for people to purchase the content.
What website was it posted on? What is that website’s reputation? If the content is posted on a reputable website, it is more likely to be legal content. For example, if content is posted on the website of a newspaper (ex. the Wall Street Journal) it would be more likely to be legitimate content than material posted on an individual’s blog. Be more cautious with sites that allow users to upload content, many users do not understand the copyright implications of posting content without permission. A good rule of thumb is to go to the source whenever possible, for example, when looking for a copy of a news broadcast, go straight to the news organizations page, or to their account on the service you are using.
Who posted the content, and who is the copyright owner of the content? Have a look at who posted the content, and think about how likely they were to have permission to post the content. For example, if they are the copyright owner, they don’t need permission, if they are the creator of the work they are more likely to have permission or be the owner. Here are a couple examples:
A video of a BBC news broadcast is more likely to be a legitimate copy if it was posted by the official BBC account on YouTube, than if it was posted by JaneSchmoe1984.
An image posted on a photographer’s digital portfolio is more likely to be a legitimate image than a copy found on another individual’s blog.
What attribution or permission statement is present? If content is posted on a website and it is unlikely that the website owner is the copyright owner, look for an attribution statement that indicates that permission was sought to use the content. Something like, “Image posted with permission of Photographer X. You may also find that content posted by the copyright owner is posted with some kind of disclaimer about the terms of use of copyright statement for the content.
Can I make copies of copyright-protected works to hand out to participants in class? Can I include copies of another person’s images and materials in my PowerPoint presentations?
Yes. Under fair dealing you may make copies of another person’s works and hand them out to participants enrolled in your course. Under fair dealing you may also include another person’s work, including images, in your PowerPoint presentations that you display to participants enrolled in your course. In both cases, you must adhere to the amount that may be copied under fair dealing. Please see the Fair Dealing Advisory for the copying limits.
I’ve come across a recent journal article that I want to give out to my participants. Can I photocopy it and hand it out to them?
Yes. The Fair Dealing Advisory permits the copying of an entire journal article. Copies may be handed out to the participants enrolled in your course or you may scan and post a copy of the article to KSPACE.
Keep in mind that allowable use of e-journal articles is governed by a license.
If you’ve gone through these tips and are having trouble determining if the content you have was legally posted, please email info@equantz.com.