For those who
missed the Webinar on Thursday (06/12), you missed a great presentation. I knew that intellectual property laws (of which copyrights form a part) were complex but I didn't realize the breadth and depth of the intricacies until now. Our special guest, Micah
Vandegrift, did an impressive job and I encourage all to view the session in
its entirety! He outlined the five 'rights'
that make up copyrights as:
- the right to reproduce the work in copies (e.g. as photocopies or online);
- the right to distribute copies of the work;
- the right to prepare translations and other derivative works;
- the right to perform or display the work publicly; and
- the right to authorize others to exercise any of these rights. (Adapted from the University of Minnesota © Info & Resources site)
Of
particular interest was the concept of 'classroom use exemption' and defining
what is meant by 'fair use'. I found another noteworthy source at Stanford
University's four factors for measuring fair use.
Check out
the recorded session in 'Week 5' from the 'Assignments' button in Blackboard.
Thanks for sharing the Stanford article about fair use. I remember reading this article back in the past, it will be good to skim it again. I remember fair use was actually a subjective term which can change from one situation to another, and every case should be interpreted on its uniqueness.
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. 'Fair use' is still somewhat subjective but nowadays it appears to have a bit more definition. The Stanford article, for example, points out that users should ask themselves whether they're using the material to create something new or simply copying it word for word. To answer this, users can ask two main questions:
ReplyDelete• Has the material you have taken from the original work been transformed by adding new expression or meaning?
• Was value added to the original by creating new information, new aesthetics, new insights, and understandings?
In addition to this, there are many websites that define the intricacies of copyright laws in plain language. I found Julien Hofman's Introducing Copyright useful. Just skimming through this text book was enlightening and this is only one of many free texts books/articles available online.