Copyrighted Works in the Canvas Learning Management System: What’s Allowed & How
Posting an item to the learning management system (LMS) does not exempt an instructor from copyright regulations.
Please note: All materials linked or uploaded to the learning management system, regardless of medium or format, should include proper citation and attribution, and copyright notices where applicable.
| Item Source | Item | Allowed | Not Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library databases | Article or ebook from a library database | Direct linking to the catalog record of the article/ebook allowed | Copying and pasting the article into the LMS; Downloading a PDF from the database and uploading that to the LMS |
| Interlibrary Loan | Article, book, book chapter, or DVD obtained through interlibrary loan or otherwise borrowed from another library | Article: Permission must be obtained | Permission denied or not obtained Book/book chapter: not allowed for instructional use in an LMS |
| Scanned from the print | Scanned article from a journal, trade publication, or magazine | A single article for one semester | Multiple articles from the same publication or repeated use over multiple semesters |
| Scanned chapter from a book | 5% of the total work if in-print; 10% of the total work if out-of-print; allowed for one semester | More than the allotted percentages or repeated use over multiple semesters | |
| Scanned copyrighted image | Must be educational in nature; display in the LMS for one semester including attribution | Repeated use over multiple semesters | |
| Internet content (text or audiovisual) | Web site containing copyrighted material | Link to the Web site via the LMS | Copying and pasting the information into the LMS |
| Copyrighted image from the internet | Must be educational in nature; display in the LMS for one semester including attribution OR Find one in the public domain to use without restriction |
Repeated use over multiple semesters | |
| Audio | Audio files | No more than thirty seconds without permission | Repeated use over multiple semesters |
| Video | Video files | 10% or three minutes, whichever is less | Repeated use over multiple semesters |
Adapted from CMS / LMS Copyright (Chatham University) and Copyrighted Material & Canvas (Stevens University Samuel C. Williams Library)