Can I play videos in class?

Yes! Videos can be played in your class under the following conditions:

  • the video is being shown for educational purposes, on Queen's campus, for an audience made up primarily of students.
  • the video is not an infringing copy or you have no reasonable grounds to believe that it is an infringing copy.
  • the video was legally obtained (from the library, a video store or a video rental store - not downloaded from the Pirate Bay or another illegal website).

Section 30.04 of the Copyright Act permits reproducing, communicating and performing in public by an educational institution or a person acting under the authority of one for educational or training purposes of a copyright-protected work that is made available through the Internet. This includes an audiovisual work posted to the Internet including a YouTube video. You can use this exception as long as the material is legitimately posted, acknowledgement is provided and there is no clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use of the content.

Copyright in the Campus Classroom

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