Re: Faculty Personal Videotape Copies

Gary Handman (ghandman@library.berkeley.edu)
Wed, 18 Aug 1999 11:58:21 -0700 (PDT)

OK...here's my (non-lawyer's) take: excerpting portions of copyrighted
works MAY (may!) be sheltered by fair use in classroom teaching situations.
In such cases, the number and length of clips, and the nature of the clip
itself must be assessed...in all cases: shorter and fewer is better (also:
don't go clipping the shower scene from Psycho...)

In the case of putting these clips on reserve...you've fallen through the
thin ice of fair use. The notion is that fair use allows excerpting in
response to the "spontaneous" needs of presenting a class. In the case of
reserve compilation tapes, I don't think you'd have a leg to stand on.

Gary Handman
UCB

At 11:16 AM 08/18/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>I know that there is a time limit for materials copied onto videotape and
>used for educational purposes (I am not sure exactly what that is) but is
>there an infringement for putting these types of copies on reserve in the
>library?
>
>Tami-Jo Eckley
>Electronic Services & Media Librarian
>Manhattanville College Library
>Purchase, New York 10577
>http://www.mville.edu/library
>
>
Gary Handman
Director
Media Resources Center
Moffitt Library
UC Berkeley 94720-6000
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC

"Everything wants to become television" (James Ulmer -- Teletheory)