The legality of certain teaching practices is being questioned. The controversy arises from the application of the 1909 copyright law to the use of the new copying technology. This information aid considers the current copyright law and the needs and practices of educators. The stickiest part of copyright law is the fair use doctrine, which allows for the use of copyrighted material in a reasonable manner withou the consent of the copyright holder. Hope for a future solution to these problems resides in the National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Words, which was created by the 93rd Congress. Until the commission's final report and suggestions are submitted years from now, attempts to improve the existing legislation continue. Approaches such as the licensing of schools and libraries and the creation of a clearninghouse to mediate between copyright holders and those wanting to use copyrighted material have also been proposed. (Author/IRT)