Copyright and Fair Use

Copyright and Fair Use

• Copyright law protects original creations, like images, text and music, as intellectual property.
• Copyright owners have the right to decide how their work is used and can choose to grant permission through licensing.
• Creative Commons is a type of licensing that allows individuals to share their work freely while still maintaining control over usage.
• Public domain content is free to use in any way without limitations.

Obtaining Free Content

• Public domain content is available for anyone to use freely, but it can be challenging to identify.
• Creative Commons content offers more flexibility in usage depending on license choices, requiring attention to terms of use.

Using Copyrighted Material

• Fair use doctrine permits limited use of copyrighted material without permission for specific purposes like criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
• Guidelines for fair use include considering the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantiality of the portion used, and the effect of the use on the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
• Misusing copyrighted material can lead to legal consequences, such as website takedowns, lawsuits and financial penalties.

Licensing Copyrighted Content

• For commercial use or broader usage of copyrighted content, acquiring a license from the copyright holder is necessary.
• Stock photo sites offer licenses to purchase rights to use images and media in various projects.

Sharing Copyrighted Videos

• Embedding videos on websites is generally acceptable as long as it directs to the original source, acknowledging credit for the creator.
• Sharing copyrighted videos, particularly content protected by copyright law, can violate copyright law and result in video removal.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property

• Copyright protects original content created by individuals, including blog posts, website content, and research papers.
• Proactive monitoring online and regular checks for unauthorized usage of your content can help identify and address infringement.

Handling Infringement

• Contacting the infringing site directly is the first step to address copyright infringement, politely requesting removal or credit.
• Filing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown request with the service provider hosting the infringing content is an option when direct contact proves unsuccessful.

Copyright

• Copyright is a legal concept, protects the original work of creators, including art, writing, images, music, and more.
• Any original content you create and record in a lasting form is your intellectual property.
• You need permission from the copyright holder to use, copy, or change their work.
• Permission is often given through a license.

Public Domain

• Works in the public domain have no copyright restrictions and can be used freely.
• Works published before 1923 are often considered public domain.

Creative Commons

• Allows creators to choose how their work can be used.
• Creative Commons licenses offer various levels of freedom, from attribution only to non-commercial use and no derivative works.

Fair Use

• Allows limited use of copyrighted material for specific purposes, such as:
  • Educational purposes
  • Commentary
  • Criticism
  • Parody

Guidelines for Fair Use

• The purpose and character of the use, including whether it is for commercial or non-profit educational purposes.
• The nature of the copyrighted work.
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole.
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Misusing Copyrighted Material

• It is considered unethical and illegal to use copyrighted material without permission or under fair use guidelines.
• Violations can result in:
  • Cease and desist letters
  • Website shutdown
  • Lawsuits

Protecting Intellectual Property

• Copyright protects the original content you create.
• If someone copies or steals your work, you have the right to take action.

Content Monitoring and Protection

• Regularly monitor your content online to identify any unauthorized use.
• If you find your content on another site, contact the site owner and ask for it to be removed or for proper attribution.
• If contacting the site owner isn't successful, consider filing a DMCA takedown request.

Licensing Content

• If you want to use copyrighted content that doesn't fall under fair use, you need to obtain a license from the copyright holder.
• Licensing terms and costs vary depending on the type of content and intended use.

Using Copyrighted Videos

• Embedding videos from sites like YouTube or Vimeo automatically links back to the original source, providing attribution.
• Be aware that videos in violation of copyright law may be removed without notice.
• Do not embed videos known to be in violation of copyright.