Scholarly Communication:
Copyright

Most likely, the copyright for your published articles is owned by journal publishers, not you. It is usually after your article is reviewed and accepted for publication that you are kindly asked to sign a standard agreement that gives all of your rights to the publisher. What it means is that you have to ask for permission to use your own work, as you would do with any other copyrighted material. If you don't have permission, your attempts to share your own work with colleagues and students, in print or electronic formats, may be infringing, depending on your contract with the publisher.

The "exclusive right to copy" refers to the right to reproduce your work (in any format), to distribute it (to colleagues via e-mail), to create derivative works based on it (publish another version in an edited volume), to display it publicly (on your website) or to perform it (as a play would be performed). These are only some examples of prohibited uses of your work, if you signed away all your rights to the publisher and you are not the copyright owner.

However, the law specifies exemptions to copyright that limit the exclusive control of the copyright owner under certain circumstances, so as not to stifle creativity. That is also why copyright is granted for a limited time only, and all works are free to use once they are in the public domain. Under conditions described in the TEACH Act, including classroom display of images or performance of works, copyrighted works can be used without asking for the copyright holder’s permission. In other cases, the law permits certain types of infringements because of their positive value to society, such as use for criticism, comment, education and news reporting. The Fair Use Doctrine provides a defense to infringement in these cases, because seeking permission for such uses that promote culture and social life are unreasonable. As a teaching faculty, you are probably using your own or others' work in ways that either the Fair Use defense or the TEACH Act exemptions may apply.