Who owns the copyright to my course materials?
At UMass, instructors own the copyright to their own course materials. (See UMass Intellectual Property policy.) If someone else copies course materials or tests without permission, instructors have a number of different options, ranging from “takedown requests” to Code of Student Conduct actions. The Libraries offer consultation services to help faculty develop appropriate syllabus language, or deal with problems caused by unauthorized uploads.
Can an instructor upload readings to their course website?
Instructors can upload readings to their course website, so long as they have rights to do so — using open access or library-licensed resources, relying on fair use, or doing rights clearance.
How does an instructor know if a use is fair use?
Fair use depends most strongly on the use someone is making, but also takes into account how much of an original work is copied, what the original work is, and whether the rightsholder is hurt by the use.
The Libraries offer consultations about fair use, as well as fair use factsheets.