Synthesis: Using the Work of Others
Copyright
You've seen it in books, on your CDs, in movie credits, and even on the Web! Just what is © all about, anyway?
| What is Copyright? | Copyright refers to the rights of a "creator" (author, publisher, artist, composer, etc.) to control the reproduction and use of his/her work (book, play, painting, sculpture, song, etc.) by others. (more . . .) |
| Why Should You Care? | Two reasons: so you do not infringe on someone else's copyright and so no one infringes on your copyright. (more . . .) |
| What Does Copyright Protect? | Copyright law protects works that have been fixed in a tangible medium, such as on paper, compact disk, canvas, VCR tape, DVD, the Web, etc. (more . . .) |
| What is Public Domain? | Copyright does not last forever. When works stop being protected by copyright, they fall into the "public domain." A work in the public domain may be freely copied by anyone. (more . . .) |
| What is Fair Use? | The "fair use" provision of the copyright statute allows for the reproduction of parts of copyrighted materials without permission of the copyright owner "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research." Fair use applies to ALL copyrighted works - books, Web pages, articles, artwork, music, etc. (more . . .) |
| How Can You Avoid Copyright Infringement? | Copyright is a complicated and thorny issue, but you can successfully avoid infringement and still copy stuff. (more . . .) |
| Is It Copyright Infringement? (Interactive Game) | Test your newfound knowledge of copyright and see if you have what it takes to use it correctly. (more . . .) |