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Can you copyright a lesson plan that uses others' copyrighted materials? |
Answer
Only if you take some of their ideas and re-phrase them. You cannot copy exactly what they have. Copyrights are seldom worth the trouble. I was shocked to learn that others can still steal your ideas as far as becoming an author or selling your paintings (they can copy them with just one or two small changes.) As far as writing others can steal your ideas but cannot copy word-for-word. You also cannot take a science project (which has been copyrighted) or diagrams or any mathematical calculations, etc.
Answer
Copyright law does not protect ideas -- only the expression of those ideas in a tangible form.If a lesson plan includes REFERENCES to works done by others, you may certainly have a copyright of your own, to the extent your plan includes some creativity (say, in your selection, description and sequence of materials). If you plan to regularly distribute materials copyrighted by others, even for education, you will need a license to do so, or ask the students to purchase an authorized copy of their own for each class.
If the plan itself copies substantial portions of someone else's planning work, without permission or attribution, you have a plagiarism and copyright problem. This can lead to academic sanctions as well as a federal lawsuit.
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First answer by Marcy. Last edit by Wutzyerproblem. Contributor trust: 356 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 48 [recommend question]
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