Copyright

Welcome to NWACC's Copyright Guide.

This guide is designed to help faculty and staff make informed decisions about using copyrighted materials in teaching. It includes clear explanations, practical tips, and links to resources and policies. The Library is here to support you every step of the way.

What You'll Find Here

Explore Copyright

Learn what copyright protects, how long it lasts, and how it applies to teaching materials. (Includes seven focused subtopics.)

Apply Fair Use in Teaching

Understand how to apply the four-factor fair use test in an academic setting.

Explore Educational Use

Understand how copyright applies to in-person and online instruction,.

Request Copyright Permissions

Learn how to seek permission or licensing for classroom materials.

Use Creative Commons Licenses

Know exactly what you can and can't do with CC-licensed works.

Find Royalty-Free & Public Domain Resources

Discover high-quality content you can legally reuse, remix, or share freely.

Discover Additional Resources

Quick reference tools, videos, and readings for deeper understanding.

💡 Need to verify a work’s copyright status? Check out our tools.

You’re not alone. Many instructors ask:

• What does copyright protect?
• How do I know if something is in the public domain?
• Isn’t all educational use fair use?
• How long does copyright last?

For quick, reliable answers, explore:

Need help applying copyright in your course? The Library and Digital Learning teams are here to assist. We offer personalized support, resource linking, and one-on-one consultations.

📧 library@nwacc.edu  |  📧 dl@nwacc.edu

This work by Northwest Arkansas Community College, Pauline Whitaker Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.