Gaining Permission
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Often times, authors will have created works that you would like to include in a course or textbook, but will either not display the licensing information, or will have copyrighted the material. Fear not! Many creators, when contacted will grant permission to use a work for educational, non-commercial purposes. It can be tricky however to gain access to these materials.
First of all, realize that many authors have specific reasons for copyrighting their materials. It is every creator’s right to decide how their work is used and we need to be respectful of their decision.
When asking for permission, you may want to specify why you would like to use a work (what competency, subject or objective does the work satisfy?). It is very important to let the creator know how the work will be used (embedded, linked, downloaded, etc.), and if a profit will be made (if the project is non-commercial or will be sold in a bookstore for profit).
NOTE: Most creators, especially of videos, will not grant permission for you to download and then upload their works. If you offer to link to the work, they will still gain revenue from any ads or other means of revenue.
For example:
_________________________________
Hello,
I’m an Open Educational Resource Specialist at Central Lakes College). I’m helping several teachers create a Psychology Course that will eliminate textbook costs to our students by using free online resources.
We discovered your video of “Are You Crazy!?” on your YouTube Channel, but I’m unsure of the permissions on the video. May we use the video in our non-commercial courses?
Thank you so much for your help,
Your Name
____________________________________
NOTE: Never agree to additional terms or sign an agreement or contract without first speaking with your OER Mentor. These contracts will need to be looked at by District Legal and any documents or agreements (outside of using for non-profit, linking, etc) need to be completed on behalf of the school.
