Read the following essay, which lacks a conclusion:

Anyone who teaches biology needs to use copyrighted material. You can’t describe the scope of life on Earth or the secret inner life of cells without using pictures, videos, and diagrams. But few of the newest and best examples are in the public domain. Luckily, U.S. law allows educators to use copyrighted materials legally under a principle called fair use. However, fair use isn’t a free for all, and misusing it only teaches your students all the wrong lessons.

Fair use allows teachers to use copyrighted material in the classroom. But in return, teachers are required to exercise restraint. You cannot copy all or most of a textbook so that students do not have to buy it. You can’t copy a nature program off the tv and show it every semester if it is available for sale or rent. You are not allowed to put together a thick packet of articles for your students to buy from you or the college copy shop. Be reasonable - the people who write textbooks and make films need to make a living.



Which of the options below is the most effective conclusion to the essay?


A. As a practical matter, your treatment of someone else’s intellectual property in the classroom is mainly between you and your conscience. The chances of being caught or prosecuted for copyright infringement are very small. But the moral consequences of ignoring fair use are immediate and powerful. It is hard to tell your students not to plagiarize when you do it yourself. It’s impossible to convince them that science is all about honest and ethical inquiry after you’ve stolen someone else’s work.


B. In other words, if you want to use copyrighted material make sure you are following fair use rules. Fair use practices let teachers use work that isn’t in the public domain without breaking the law. You don’t want to do it wrong and set a bad example for your students.


C. U.S. copyright law gives the author of a work the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display it. Material published before 1923 is now in the public domain. Work created in 1978 or later is copyrighted for lifetime of the author plus 70 years. Work produced between 1923 and 1978 is in a bit of a gray area. The best bet is to assume anything newer than 1923 is copyrighted unless it specifically says otherwise, so apply fair use or don’t use it at all.


D. Every scientific discovery is built on the work that came before it, and scientists freely and eagerly share their ideas with one another. Teaching is all about sharing knowledge as much as possible, too. But you still have to respect copyright. It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.