Module at a Glance

The purpose of copyright is to balance two goals: supporting creators and enabling users to access and utilize works in meaningful ways. As an educator, you benefit from several user rights that make teaching and learning possible.

Throughout Canada, the Copyright Act includes user right such as fair dealing, which allows the use of protected works for purposes like education, research, and study, as long as the use is fair. Fairness is assessed using factors identified by the Supreme Court of Canada, including the purpose of use, how much is used, whether alternatives exist, and the impact on the original work’s market.

When conditions are met, educators in Manitoba’s public post-secondaries can benefit from educational exceptions, which allow certain uses – such as using materials in tests and exams, performing works for students, displaying workings in class, or using freely available online content.The purpose of this section is to empower you by highlighting the rights you do have under copyright law, not just the limitations. Copyright can feel scary, but educators, students and the public have meaningful user rights – like fair dealing and education-specific exemptions – that enable teaching, learning, creativity and access to knowledge. Rather than focusing on what you cannot do, this section equips you with the knowledge to recognize what you can do – and to use these rights effectively in your educational practice.