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The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires grantees to demonstrate broader impacts in an effort to ensure the NSF's mission: "To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." This means that outreach and dissemination efforts are critical for fulfilling the requirements and goals of our Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grants. But, how do we ethically use the works of others to develop and share the curriculum components and other educational materials produced by our projects or centers? And how do we make sure that our own works are protected?

Here are eight resources related to intellectual property (IP) and copyright that may help address these issues: 

Copyright in Education Flowchart

"Can I use material I found online for teaching or school work?" This illuminating infographic answers the question in a step-by-step guide, identifying what material can - and cannot - be used for teaching or school purposes. There are also sections on licensing one's own media, how to think about whether it might be feasible to claim fair use, and instructions for how to ethically and legally claim fair use in certain circumstances.

Fair Use Evaluator

The Fair Use Evaluator, which was created by the American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy, guides users through the process of deciding what is and is not fair use under the U.S. Copyright Code. In addition, on the homepage readers may select Learn More About Fair Use for basic information about fair use guidelines. This interactive tool is a helpful resource for anyone unsure about fairness of use.

The United States Copyright Office

The United States Copyright Office website virtually teems with information about the multifarious intricacies and real world practicalities of copyright law. Here readers may Register a Copyright, Record a Document, Search Records, and Learn About Statutory Licensing. Beginners to the wide world of Copyright may benefit from the answers found in the Frequently Asked Questions section, where they can find explanations of such quandaries as "What is Copyright?" and "When is my work protected?" Interested readers may also find the Fair Use Index especially useful as it allows users to search jurisdictions and categories for particular cases and judicial decisions.

WIPO: What is Intellectual Property?

As this excellent site from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) so succinctly explains, intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce. Types of IP include Copyright, Patents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, and Geographical Indications. As a whole, the WIPO website is broadly informative and readers will find a number of excellent Publications.

Ten Simple Rules to Protect Your Intellectual Property

Scientists of all kinds will benefit from reading this excellent article from the open access journal, PLoS: Computational Biology. The authors, each of whom is well established in his field, offer ten simple rules that might help researchers protect their intellectual property. Each rule is accompanied by several explanatory paragraphs that elucidate and clarify the points, making for an exceptionally useful list of advice for scientists that would like to protect their innovative work and develop it for the next phase of inquiry and results.

Intellectual Property and the U.S. Economy: Industries in Focus (PDF)

This 76-page report prepared by the Economics and Statistics Administration and the United States Patent and Trademark Office argues that trademarks and other intellectual property (IP) rights provide the very bedrock by which the United States expands its economy and makes its place in the world. Key findings of the report include the fact that the U.S. economy as a whole relies on some form of IP, because nearly every industry either produces or uses intellectual property. The report also identifies 75 industries that are particularly IP-intensive, and these industries accounted for approximately 27 million jobs and almost 19 percent of employment in the year 2010. The report also includes distinct sections dedicated to patents, trademarks, copyrights, and employment, each of which are fact filled and educational in their own right.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a nonprofit that offers free legal tools to anyone who would like to share their work under specified conditions. On the site, readers may like to start by searching the commons, which they can do using the convenient search feature. A search turns up results from the OpenClipArt library, Google, Wikimedia Commons, SoundCloud, and other sources - all of it pre-approved for legal use. The site also highlights a number of compelling features for users who would like to license their own content. The Creative Commons blog is a regularly updated source of information about licensing, public domain work, and the various artists and others who use Creative Commons to license their work.

Finding Public Domain & Creative Commons Media

This handy reference was crafted by Research Librarian Meg Kribble and will help interested readers locate and correctly attribute public domain and Creative Commons media for personal and academic use. To start, the guide breaks down the difference between the public domain and Creative Commons. Then, it links to a helpful three-minute video that explains the Creative Commons process and offers an infographic detailing the various types of Creative Commons licenses. Perhaps most helpful, are the annotated listings of public domain and Creative Commons Web resources that make it easy to find Images, Audio Content, and Video Content for a variety of projects and presentations.

For more resources related to this topic, check out the Spring 2016 special edition of the Scout Report