Our general copyright policies are as follows. Specific details may vary. Please see the copyright information for each product, viewable on the copyright page of the product or online on each product page under “Details.”
IEW Unsolicited Submission Policy can be found below
IEW®, Structure and Style®, and Fix It!® are registered trademarks of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, L.L.C.
IEW Checklist Generator™ is a trademark of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, L.L.C.
Teacher’s Manual:
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law. Please see the specific policy below:
Home use: Because this Teacher’s Manual may not be reproduced, each family must purchase their own copy.
Small group or co-op classes: Because this Teacher’s Manual may not be reproduced, each teacher must purchase his or her own copy.
Classroom teachers: Because this Teacher’s Manual may not be reproduced, each teacher must purchase his or her own copy.
Library use: This Teacher’s Manual may be checked out of a lending library provided patrons agree not to make copies.
Student Book:
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law and the specific policy below:
Home use: The purchaser may copy this Student Book for use by multiple children within his or her immediate family.
Small group or co-op classes: Each participating student or family is required to purchase a Student Book.
Classroom teachers: A Student Book must be purchased for each participating student.
Teacher’s Resource:
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law and the specific policy below:
Home use: The purchaser may copy this Teacher’s Resource for use within his or her immediate family. Each family must purchase their own Teacher’s Resource.
Small group or co-op classes: The purchaser may copy this Teacher’s Resource for use within his or her own class. Each teacher is required to purchase his or her own Teacher’s Resource.
Classroom teachers: The purchaser may copy this Teacher’s Resource for use within his or her own class. Each teacher is required to purchase his or her own Teacher’s Resource.
Library use: This Teacher’s Resource may be checked out of a lending library provided patrons agree not to make copies.
DVDs, CDs, and CD-ROMs may not be copied.
Ownership of e-books and e-audios may not be transferred or sold.
Thank you for your interest regarding IEW®’s intellectual property and accreditation. This article is designed to help tutors, parent-teachers, entrepreneurs, and classroom teachers understand what can and cannot be done with IEW’s materials and trademarks. It is not intended to be legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact a qualified intellectual property attorney.
Trademarks and Copyrights
Trademarks are used in marketing IEW®’s materials. Copyrights refer to the content of IEW’s products. This article is divided into two sections, the first on trademark and the second on copyrights. While there are plenty of resources online to help people understand what trademarks and copyrights are (See the “Helpful Sites” section below.), we feel it is valuable to break down these issues as they pertain to IEW’s customers. Here’s a very useful blog post specifically on how to teach IEW courses online while not breaking copyright.
Helpful Sites
Here are some great sites to help explain what a trademark is and what can and cannot be legally done with it from the government and two legal websites:
- https://www.uspto.gov/about-trademarks
- https://www.upcounsel.com/can-i-use-a-trademarked-word#what-is-infringement
- https://rachelbrenke.com/can-i-use-this-when-a-trademark-can-and-cannot-be-used
Here are some great sites to help explain what a copyright is and what can and cannot be legally done with copyrighted material from the government and a legal website:
- https://www.copyright.gov/what-is-copyright
- https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html
- https://www.thebalancesmb.com/copyright-definition-2948254
Part 1. Trademark
Policy: IEW reserves the use of our trademark for marketing our own products and services, but we also grant limited use of our trademarks to people who have been officially accredited with IEW as accredited instructors or to authorized IEW resellers specifically to sell IEW products. Any other use of our trademark is not allowed.
Here is IEW’s trademark policy as it applies to accredited instructors:
Only IEW Accredited Instructors are allowed to make use of the trademarked name “Institute for Excellence in Writing” and the trademarked terms “IEW” and “Structure and Style” in advertising their classes.
Can I use the terms IEW®, Institute for Excellence in Writing®, or Structure and Style®?
Imagine for a moment that a teacher wants to promote her class, and so she lists it as “Mrs. Smith’s IEW® Class” or “Mrs. Smith’s Institute for Excellence in Writing®-Plus Class.” These uses of our trademarks, IEW® and Institute for Excellence in Writing®, are not appropriate. These registered trademarks (as well as Structure and Style®) are guarded by IEW to help safeguard the trust of people who want to learn from accredited instructors who have demonstrated fluency with our writing methodology as presented in Teaching Writing: Structure and Style.
In the above examples, the teacher identifies her classes as “IEW” classes or as “Institute for Excellence in Writing-Plus classes,” and this is a direct violation. There would similarly be a problem if instructors identified themselves as accredited IEW instructors or as teachers of the Structure and Style Writing Method when they are in fact not accredited with IEW. They cannot call their classes “IEW” classes or entitle their method “Structure and Style” unless they have a current accreditation status with IEW as accredited instructors.
What if I use IEW’s materials in my class? How do I say I’m using IEW’s materials without breaking the law?
Policy: Non-accredited instructors and authorized IEW resellers may accurately describe official IEW products that they are using or selling so long as IEW’s trademarks are ONLY used to market IEW’s products.
It is never a problem for a teacher to use our materials to teach a class; we want them to do so! People can teach a class using IEW’s materials whether or not they are accredited by IEW. If an instructor who is NOT IEW accredited wants to teach using our materials, no problem. But she cannot call herself an IEW instructor or title her classes as IEW classes. This may sound like a bit of an odd distinction. Why is this a big deal to IEW?
Like any publisher, IEW has the right to say what is and is not from “IEW.” Customers would be confused if IEW let everyone call their classes “IEW,” and those customers wouldn’t be protected from entities that aren’t IEW that make that claim. What if the teacher doesn’t know IEW’s methodology, for instance, but claims that she is teaching IEW’s method? Unless they successfully complete the accreditation process, IEW does not allow teachers to use our trademarks when marketing their classes.
A good example for this could be made using the company Pizza Hut®. If I made my own pizza that looked like Pizza Hut® pizza and sold it as “Pizza Hut® pizza,” I’d get a nasty piece of correspondence called a “cease and desist” letter from the good folks at Pizza Hut®’s corporate office. Why? Because Pizza Hut® owns their own trademark, and it’s important that consumers who purchase things with the Pizza Hut® label KNOW that they’re actually from the company that owns the brand.
How can I let people know that a class uses IEW’s materials without identifying my class as an IEW class?
One helpful tip for identifying trademarks is by what part of speech is used. For example, the Nabisco® company identifies Oreo® Cookies, with Nabisco® and Oreo® operating as adjectives. Trademarks are always adjectives. While in common vernacular you or I might say “Oreos” (using the word as a noun), you'll never see that usage in Nabisco’s official documents. This is useful because what the adjective modifies is what it is describing. To put in your class description something like, “For the private writing lessons I teach, I use IEW®’s All Things Fun and Fascinating in my class,” is no problem at all. IEW®’s is a possessive adjective modifying our theme-based writing book. We appreciate when teachers include a link (IEW.com/AFF-S), and it is helpful to their students when they do so, but this is not legally necessary. It clearly defines our intellectual property without implying that we endorse the teacher in any way. This markets (read: adjectivally modifies) IEW's curriculum product, not the class or instructor.
By contrast, consider a class titled “IEW Class for High Schoolers.” The term “IEW” is an adjective modifying the word “class.” This is using our registered trademark to market herself or her class. This is only acceptable if she is an accredited instructor.
What are some examples of correct trademark usage?
An accredited instructor, correct usage: Mrs. Jones, an IEW® accredited instructor, is teaching a class titled “Elementary IEW® Writing Class” and in the description she says she is using IEW’s All Things Fun and Fascinating. Every student is required to own a Student Book, found at IEW.com/AFF-S.
Not an accredited instructor, but still correct usage: Mrs. Smith is teaching a class titled “A Fun Writing Class” and in the description she says she is using IEW®’s All Things Fun and Fascinating. Every student is required to own a Student Book, found at IEW.com/AFF-S.
What is an example of incorrect trademark usage?
Not an accredited instructor, incorrect usage: Mrs. Jones is teaching a class titled “A Fun Writing Class” and in the description she says she is using IEW®’s stylistic techniques (or IEW's writing method, or anything identified as "IEW's" other than a specific IEW product; see False Claim of Ownership, below).
Here’s an additional illustration using the well-known company Pizza Hut® to help navigate these distinctions:
Correctly Identifying Products
It’s easy to see that someone could say, “We're having a party and eating Pizza Hut pizza” without drawing any ire from the Pizza Hut company. It’s the same if someone says that he or she is using IEW’s curricular materials.
False Claim of Identity
However, if some people said, “We’re Pizza Hut. Eat at our restaurant,” there would likely be a phone call or letter from the Pizza Hut company to them. They can't claim that! This is the same as titling or describing a class as an IEW class.
False Claim of Ownership
There’s a similar problem if someone claimed that he was making Pizza Hut® pizza at his restaurant, even though he didn’t claim to be a Pizza Hut. This is the same as saying “We teach using IEW®’s Structure and Style® method.”
Thank you so much for caring deeply about safeguarding the fidelity of IEW’s intellectual property! We hope that the above explanation on trademarks is helpful in bringing clarity. Obviously, we’d love for all instructors to become accredited, and they can see the details and benefits at IEW.com/accreditation. If you have further questions or need more clarification on any point, please let us know at info@IEW.com.
Part 2: Copyright
Copying something that someone else has created and distributing that material breaks the owner’s copyright and is illegal. This includes derivative works, meaning works that are clearly based on another copyrighted work.
Here’s a very helpful blog post on how to teach Structure and Style courses online while not breaking copyright.
IEW’s copyright policies can be seen here.
Can I make materials for students that include IEW methods?
Policy: IEW reserves the exclusive right to publish (prepare and issue media for public sale, distribution, or readership) any and all products derived from IEW’s published product line, including the Structure and Style method of teaching writing, described in Teaching Writing: Structure and Style.
You may absolutely make your own materials derived from IEW’s copyrighted works for a live (online or in-person) classroom of your own students. You may not make your own materials derived from IEW’s copyrighted works if you are making a product for distribution.
Copyright law makes a clear distinction between something called “fair use” and other uses of copyrighted materials. Fair use allows people to use copyrighted materials in certain situations, including for educational purposes, so it is perfectly acceptable to use IEW materials to educate (provided that it does not run afoul of IEW’s copyright policies). Materials that are offered for sale (including educational materials offered for sale) are commercial in nature: they are intended for distribution, not intended simply for use in the classroom in order to teach. These materials are products and as such do NOT enjoy fair use.
IEW encourages teachers to make their own lesson plans using IEW’s methodology. There’s no trouble teaching a live (online or in-person) class that uses your own source texts while you teach using IEW’s writing method to your students. This is the intention of the program. However, IEW does NOT give permission for anyone to write curriculum or create products to sell that include or are derived from IEW’s terminology or IEW’s intellectual property found in our copyrighted works.
IEW’s permission to teach Structure and Style methodology as presented in Teaching Writing: Structure and Style does NOT include permission to train other parents, instructors, or administrators how to teach the Structure and Style method. That role is reserved by IEW for Andrew Pudewa and IEW Accomplished Level instructors.
As long as you’re teaching and not selling the printed materials you use in your live (online or in-person) classroom, you have permission to make your own source texts, word lists, etc., all for use with the Structure and Style method as presented in Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. This is educational use and fair game. Because transmission of IEW’s materials over the internet isn’t allowed (Students must purchase those materials from IEW.), making new materials derived from IEW copyrighted works such as Teaching Writing: Structure and Style might help some teachers provide a one-stop-shop service to their students. As long as the derivative materials are free with the class and are limited ONLY to students in their live (in-person or online) class, teachers may do this. Teachers may charge money for a class but any derivative materials must be included with the class and given to class participants. Derivative materials may not be sold on their own or offered to the public (see below).
On the other hand, IEW does NOT give permission to people to make their own materials derived from IEW’s copyrighted works such as Teaching Writing: Structure and Style and publish the materials on their own. This prohibition includes videos. Making materials for distribution outside of a live classroom environment is the same as making a product. Any product that includes material derived from published IEW materials (such as the Structure and Style method, for example, presented in Teaching Writing: Structure and Style) fall under this area. So, for example, someone making a video of herself teaching, using content derived from Teaching Writing: Structure and Style and then publishing that video without permission from IEW, constitutes making a product, and that is not allowed. In the same way, a teacher that writes her own theme-based book using content derived from IEW theme-based books or Teaching Writing: Structure and Style could not publish that book without permission from IEW. It also is not allowed to make materials and simply change the names of the components found in IEW’s copyrighted materials without IEW’s permission. All of these are products that are derived from IEW’s intellectual property. They are derivative works. If it can be shown that a person used copyrighted IEW material to build her product, she is creating a derivative work. IEW legally and solely retains the right to make derivative works of our published materials. If you need further legal advice on what constitutes “derivative works,” please consult a qualified intellectual property lawyer.
To help illustrate this point, consider the play West Side Story. It is a derivative work based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It is well known that the author retold Shakespeare’s Renaissance-era tale in a more modern setting. Of course, Shakespeare’s work has lapsed into the public domain long ago, so that derivative work isn’t a legal problem. By contrast, IEW still retains the copyright on our published materials.
Can I record my class to share with a student that is absent or to allow students to review the class at a later time?
IEW gives live classroom teachers permission to record their courses if they only intend to share that video with students that are currently enrolled in their live class. Recordings can be made because of absence, and those class recordings can be sent to absent students and may also be given to currently enrolled students for review of classroom teaching. Recordings made for these purposes MUST NOT be available to the public, and teachers and students must destroy any class recordings at the close of the current term; class recordings cannot be published or made available in any other circumstance. Making a video for an absent student or for review by currently enrolled students is not the same as making a product. IEW makes allowance for these very limited situations.
Does IEW consider outside submissions of products to sell?
While IEW appreciates the hard work and dedication it takes to put together amazing products that are derived from our other copyrighted works such as Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, we no longer accept outside submissions for publication. Please see our Unsolicited Submission Policy at the bottom of this page. Our product team is working hard on new materials for the future, so we are unable to give the time and attention that are necessary to bring new authors into our company.
Can I make copies of IEW materials for my classroom or in my own family?
All printed IEW materials have a copyright that allows people to make copies within their own immediate, same-household families. Some products allow for copies to be made within the teacher’s own physical, in-person classroom. Any copying outside of these bounds is not allowed. Please see the copyright page in your IEW product for specific copying information.
IEW’s PDF products are similarly protected from copying. It’s okay in your immediate, same-household family and within your physical, in-person classroom (if that permission is expressly granted on the product’s copyright page). Otherwise, copying isn’t allowed.
No permission is given for copying IEW’s video or audio products.
Can I scan IEW materials or send them to my students digitally?
IEW’s products may not be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except as provided by U.S.A. copyright law.
This means that teachers cannot scan or email portions of books to their students without permission from IEW, nor can they send IEW’s videos or audio files or images of printed portions of IEW’s products over online platforms such as Zoom.
Can I have more information on how to teach online classes without breaking IEW copyright?
IEW has produced a two-part blog series to specifically address questions about how online teachers can thrive using IEW materials without breaking copyright. You can find those here:
Thank you so much for caring deeply about safeguarding the fidelity of IEW’s intellectual property! We hope that the above explanation on copyright and derivative works is helpful in bringing clarity. If you have further questions or need more clarification on any point, please let us know at info@IEW.com.
IEW does not accept unsolicited submissions of original ideas, proposals, and creative works. Please do not make these sorts of unsolicited submissions in any form to IEW or any of its employees. The sole purpose of this policy is to avoid potential misunderstandings, disputes, or lawsuits that may arise when IEW produces or publishes materials that might appear to be similar to unsolicited submissions of original ideas, proposals, and creative works submitted to IEW. If you still choose to send IEW your ideas, proposals, and creative works, then regardless of anything that your accompanying letter or communication to IEW may say, the following terms shall apply to your submissions.
Terms of Unsolicited Submissions
You agree that
1. your submissions and their contents will automatically become the property of IEW, without any compensation to you.
2. there is no obligation for IEW to review, consider, or otherwise use the submission.
3. IEW may use or redistribute the submissions and their contents for any purpose and in any way without notice to you.
4. there is no obligation to keep any of your unsolicited submissions confidential.
Please note that if your submissions of original ideas, proposals, and creative works are based on IEW intellectual property, IEW may deem the submission to be a derivative work (see the Copyright section for more information about derivative works). Any publication of derivative works (for sale or otherwise) is not permissible without express written permission from IEW.
