What Teachers Need to Know About Copyright and Teachers Pay Teachers

Teacher-Authors Are Leading The Way

It’s a unique time in education because educators themselves are driving the distribution of high-quality curriculum.  Big publishers are being pushed aside in favor of resources created by teachers.  As we all learn this new process together, it’s important to remember a few things about how copyright impacts not only the teacher-authors, but also impacts the future growth of teacher-created resources.

I get to virtually work side-by-side with some of the best teacher-authors in the business.  The amount of inspiration and creativity which goes into each of their products continues to amaze me on a daily basis.  Some of us are former teachers dedicated to writing curriculum as a full-time career (myself included), while others are classroom teachers who spend their nights and weekends creating engaging activities in order for you to enjoy more of your own free time.

Teachers pay Teachers Products Have Copyrights

Just like your favorite books, music, or software, our products also contain copyrights.  Most product licenses on TpT allow the use of the product by ONE teacher and their students.  This is a fairly standard practice for curriculum, but the purchasing process of licenses usually happens behind the scenes.  When your department or district purchases licenses from a curriculum company they are most likely charged by the number of students or number of teachers using the curriculum.  If the entire department is going to be using a resource you have purchased from TpT, then additional product licenses should be purchased.  Most teacher-authors have made additional licenses available for 50% off for each additional teacher.  You can simply add the additional licenses at checkout or go back and purchase them from My TpT > My Downloads anytime after the initial purchase is made.

Another copyright violation you may not be aware of is that most TpT product licenses do not allow the product to be posted online (intranet or internet) unless it is for the use of your students behind a password enabled login.

What’s the Harm In Sharing With my Department?

It may seem like a completely harmless act to share a resource with the rest of your team, but it’s really no different than pirating a movie or stealing a piece of software from the internet.  The copyright grants the creator of the original work the rights to its use and distribution.  A copyright is a privilege that any author or creator assumes the responsibility for.

One implication of a copyright violation could be that the author is no longer able to compete in the marketplace and will have to stop creating resources.  No one wants that.  The vast majority of teacher-authors are simply doing this for the love of creating great curriculum in exchange for a little extra boost to their monthly bank account.  For a few bucks a buyer is able to download a high-quality lesson that can be delivered to their class immediately.  Buyers also receive the benefit of time saved by not having to create the resource themselves.

Another negative impact is that it hurts the teachers who have spent money on supplemental curriculum for their classroom.  I know firsthand the budget of a family living on two teachers salaries.  It’s tough.  Consider a situation where you have just spent $25 on a couple of great resources only to find out someone in another district has the resource posted online for anyone to access.  It would not only be deflating but also feel very unfair.

Most teachers don’t have malicious intent when it comes to copyright violations.  Teachers pay Teachers has uniquely positioned itself as the go to resource for teacher created lessons.  Let’s all play by the rules and ensure our students continue to receive the best learning experience possible.