Answered By: Stephanie Gillespie
Last Updated: Apr 10, 2023     Views: 90

Yes. Using films, TV programs, etc. for teaching or other educational purposes for a class is most often considered a fair use under U.S. copyright law.

Specifics:

  • This right applies to non-profit institutions. See: Section 110 (1) of the U.S. Copyright Act
  • Viewing should be limited to only students enrolled in the class, but does not have to take place in the classroom.
  • Showing films and TV programs in the distance education classroom (D2L or other online learning platforms) or as part of a hybrid class is also allowed, but must be the same amount or duration as what was/would have been shown in the face to face classroom.

Many of the libraries streaming film databases allows clips to be extracted from full-length films. See a librarian for help.