Copyright Concerns
New exemptions to the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Links to an external site. that will now allow professors and students to decrypt and excerpt copyrighted video content for lectures and class projects. The rule changes were recently issued by the U.S. Copyright Office, which issues new rules every three years or so since Congress incorporated anti-circumvention rules into the DMCA when it was passed in 2000.
The new exemptions will allow professors in all fields and “film and media studies students” to hack encrypted DVD content and clip ‘short portions’ into documentary films and “non-commercial videos.” The agency has not defined short portions. This means that any professor, in any field, can legally extract movie clips and incorporate them into lectures, as long as they are willing to decrypt them. Programs known as ‘DVD rippers’ are available to handle decryption. Additionally, professors are now permitted to use ripped content in non-classroom settings that are similarly protected under “fair use,” such as presentations at academic conferences.
These new exemptions provide an opportunity for professors to compile clips from disparate sources onto one contiguous media file. Ripping portions of disparate sources into one compilation often results in an uncaptioned compilation that will need to be made accessible. There is still an instructional need to continue providing accessible media for persons with disabilities requiring access in Online/Hybrid courses. Work with your faculty resource areas for support in understanding the copyright policy on your campus.