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ACOOG Policy on Use of Educational Materials

1. Purpose

The American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOOG) provides educational materials to support each participant's personal learning. Slides, handouts, and related materials belong to the presenter, to ACOOG, or to both. This policy limits their use to personal reinforcement of learning and prohibits any display or release outside ACOOG, including on social media.

2. Scope

This policy applies to every ACOOG educational activity, including:

  • Annual and regional conferences
  • Workshops and skills labs
  • Live webinars
  • On-demand and enduring activities in the ACOOG learning management system (LMS)

It applies to every participant, including members, nonmembers, residents, students, faculty, exhibitors, and guests.

Covered Materials

Covered materials include slides, handouts, syllabi, case studies, images, videos, audio and video recordings, assessments, and any content shown or distributed during an activity, in print or electronic form.

3. Ownership of Materials

All educational materials remain the intellectual property of the presenter, ACOOG, or both, as defined in the faculty agreement. Third-party content within a presentation, such as published figures or images, belongs to its original owner.

Registration, attendance, or access through the LMS grants no ownership rights. Participants receive only the limited personal use described in Section 4.

4. Permitted Use

Participants use educational materials for personal reinforcement of learning only.

Participants are permitted to:

  • Review materials for personal study
  • Take personal notes on printed or electronic copies
  • Keep one copy for personal reference
  • Apply what they learn in their own clinical practice

5. Prohibited Use

Any use, display, or release of educational materials on an outside platform is strictly prohibited.

Without prior written permission from ACOOG and the presenter, participants must not:

  • Post, upload, or share materials on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, and YouTube
  • Post materials on websites, blogs, file-sharing services, or group messaging apps
  • Photograph, screen-capture, or record slides or presentations by audio or video
  • Copy, distribute, sell, or license materials to any other person or organization
  • Upload materials to artificial intelligence (AI) tools or platforms outside ACOOG
  • Use materials to teach, present, or publish, in original or modified form
  • Share LMS login credentials or downloaded files with others

This prohibition covers full presentations as well as individual slides, images, and excerpts.

6. Presenter Responsibilities

Presenters confirm they hold the rights to all content in their materials.

Each presenter must:

  • Obtain permission for third-party images, figures, and text, and cite each source
  • Remove or de-identify all protected health information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • Grant ACOOG a nonexclusive license to use the materials for the live activity, recordings, enduring activities in the LMS, and accreditation records, as defined in the faculty agreement
  • Notify ACOOG in writing before releasing the same materials through any other channel

Presenters who wish to permit wider sharing of their own slides send a written request to ACOOG before the activity.

7. Violations and Enforcement

ACOOG treats any unauthorized use or release of educational materials as a violation of this policy.

Upon learning of a violation, ACOOG reserves the right to:

  • Require immediate removal of posted or shared materials
  • Revoke access to materials and to the LMS
  • Remove the participant from the activity without refund
  • Restrict registration for future ACOOG activities
  • Refer member violations to the ACOOG Board of Trustees for review
  • Pursue legal remedies on behalf of ACOOG or the presenter

Report suspected violations to ACOOG Education at cme@acoog.org.

8. Acknowledgment and Review

Registration for or access to any ACOOG educational activity confirms the participant's agreement with this policy.

ACOOG reviews this policy every two years or sooner when needed.