Copyright
Copyright: An area of law that attempts to protect the work of its creator from being copied freely. Copyright is recognized by the symbol (c) and gives legal rights to creators of certain kinds of material, so that they can control the various ways in which their work may be exploited. Copyright protection is automatic and there is no registration or other formality.Source: The New Penguin Business Dictionary
An extensive list of links to information about copyright as it pertains to educational activities, compiled by Lorre Smith of the University at Albany Libraries.
A useful brochure about using copyrighted works in academic settings from the Association of Research Libraries.