The Copyright Act of 1976 limits the exclusive rights of copyright holders. In order to promote free speech, learning, research, and discussion, it was decided to limit the rights of copyright holders through the concept of fair use . Yes, as an educator there are times when you can use the fair use guidelines to determine if it is legal to use copyrighted material. The purpose and character of use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes. The nature of the copyrighted work.
Factual materials get more leeway in copying than a work of fiction or a work of art.
The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. If you can honestly answer, No to all the questions above, you have made every effort to comply with the fair use guidelines for a copyrighted work. These guidelines do not apply to works for which permission has been obtained or works in the public domain. Students may incorporate portions of lawfully acquired copyrighted works when producing their own educational projects for a specific course.