The resources used by educational institutions are constantly evolving and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has revised its approach to how materials protected by copyright are used in order to meet the needs of our institution. In addition to the university’s Use of Materials Protected by Copyright policy, we have implemented Fair Dealing Guidelines and a copyright decision roadmap which have been reviewed and updated to reflect current best practices and current federal legislation.

In general, one is allowed to make a copy if:

• the work being copied is in the public domain;
• the copyright holder has explicitly indicated permission;
• the work to be copied is covered by a licence that permits copying for educational use, such as:
  • Creative Commons licences;
  • open access works;
  • licences that USask has with the publisher of an electronic journal or book;
• the copying is permitted by one of the exceptions in the Copyright Act.

For details about the different ways to provide your students with course materials that are protected by copyright, please see the following webpages:

• providing course materials in the classroom;
• providing course materials on a password-protected course website or learning management system;
• providing course materials through the University Library;
• providing course materials through Retail Services.

There is also an instructor frequently asked question webpage with some additional information about providing course materials.

If you require assistance with verifying the copyright status of material you are using or help seeking copyright clearance, contact the copyright coordinator or Flexible Learning and Technology (FLT) (formally Distance Education Unit) (copyright clearance for blended or fully online classes). Staff will determine allowable uses and request copyright clearance as needed. Please understand that every reasonable effort will be made to acquire permission for your desired use. However, it may occasionally be necessary to find an alternate source for the material.