This policy ensures that all instructional, digital, and multimedia materials used in CCLS Houston comply with copyright laws and software licensing agreements. CCLS Houston commits to respecting intellectual property rights and protecting the organization, staff, and students from legal or financial liability.

This policy applies to:

• All printed and digital educational materials.
• All software, platforms, and applications used in classrooms or online (IDL)
• All personnel and students.

“Fair use” of a copyrighted work Section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act provides the doctrine of “fair use” of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.

Fair use is an attempt to balance an author’s copyright protection in creating intellectual works against the public interest in disseminating those works.

To determine whether the use made of a work is fair use, the law defines four factors to consider (all four factors must be examined, weighed, and balanced for the desired use).

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit, educational purposes.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work.
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used with the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

CCLS Houston requires that all copyrighted material copy requests be submitted to the President/CEO for approval.

Responsibilities of Personnel

Copyright Compliance

• Use only authorized copies of textbooks, teaching materials, audio/video files, and supplementary content.
• Teachers may not use pirated or unauthorized copies of books or digital files in class or online.
• Obtain approval from the Academic Coordinator when uncertain about a resource’s copyright status.

Software Licensing

• Install and use only legally licensed software on school devices and platforms.
• Do not share, duplicate, or repurpose software licenses or login credentials for use beyond the approved scope. Software Use in IDL Courses
• Only approved, properly licensed software and platforms may be used in IDL courses.
• Any free tools or apps used must comply with privacy and copyright guidelines.

Responsibilities of Students

• Use only official course materials provided by CCLS Houston. Do not use pirated or unauthorized copies of books or digital files in class or online.
• Do not share, scan, copy, or upload class materials, textbooks, or digital content to external platforms or with unauthorized individuals.
• Respect copyright laws when submitting projects that include images, audio, or video — only use materials with appropriate permissions or credits.
• Keep all login credentials confidential and do not share access with others.

Consequences for violations

• Any unauthorized reproduction, use, or distribution of materials may result in disciplinary action or legal liability.
• Incidents must be reported immediately to the Academic Coordinator.

A copy of this policy will be included in CCLS Houston’s manual.

This policy, while previously implemented in practice, is officially established starting from the calendar year 2025.

This policy is subject to periodic review and may be updated as necessary. As specified in CCLS Houston’s Policy for Institutional Policy Development, the president must approve any updates.