Q: May I make copies of copyrighted material to distribute in class?

A: Many authorities allow copying occasional pages from various books for distribution in class, since the students would not buy all the books required just for the occasional pages. This applies even more so to pages from the “teacher’s edition.”

However, copying a significant portion of the book is not allowed according to the many Poskim who hold that Halachah recognizes ownership of intellectual property. This especially applies to workbooks, which the students would have to buy if they were not provided copies.

Standard editions of old, classical sefarim may be copied, since there is no real copyright on them. A new layout of a classical sefer is subject to dispute between Harav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld and the Rogatchover. However, a new edition with footnotes and sources would be considered like any other copyrighted work.

Some authorities allow copying even significant portions for personal, non-commercial use, based on the authorities who hold that Halachah does not recognize ownership of intellectual property. However, even these authorities do not see this as proper behavior, so it is poor chinuch (Shevet Halevi 4:202; Emek Hamishpat, Zechuyos Yotzrim, Intro. 4:6-9; ch. 35:199).