Securing Copyright Protection for Your Works:

Create original work that is not derived from copying in whole or in part any pre-existing copyrighted work of another.
Obtain assignment of all rights, including copyright, for any portions of the work contributed by another person.
Obtain permission or license to incorporate any third party works into your work.
Fix work in a tangible means of expression, such as paper, magnetic tape, digital medium, etc.
Apply to register claim of copyright in the work not later than three months following publication/distribution of the work.

Using Copyrighted Works of Others:

Identify works to be incorporated into your instructional materials.
Determine whether materials are for limited classroom use at Yale or are to be part of a project to be used or sold outside of Yale.
Determine whether such works are protected by copyright.
Perform a fair use analysis to determine whether any of the third party works can be reproduced in your materials without the permission of the copyright owner.
Identify and locate the copyright owner or its representative to obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted works that are not covered by fair use.
Write to copyright owner or its representative to procure permission to use a third party work (either gratis or for a fee).
Maintain a file documenting all efforts to obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted works, such as places where you looked to identify a copyright owner and copies of letters to which a copyright owner did not respond.
Alternatively, enter into a license to incorporate a third party work into your materials.
If necessary, find or create substitutes for works as to which you were unable to procure permission or a license.
Provide a credit or acknowledgement in your materials for each third party work reproduced in your materials.
Consider applying to register a claim of copyright in any materials that contain significant original components contributed by you.