Category: Copyright
Teaching Copyright and Free Expression: Help for Educators
Guest Post by David Sohn, Copyright and Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens (C&C). Ideally, students learn to access, move, re-share, and re-use creative content in all kinds of ways that are legal and ethical; they also know the rules of the road for producing their own creative works. Yet teaching copyright in a way that encourages and promotes free expression can be a significant challenge. Copyright is a complicated legal subject with significant gray areas. Teachers may feel ill-equipped to cover it with their students.
Educators need a set of copyright lessons that is easy to use and that gives plenty of attention to concepts such as fair use, the public domain, and Creative Commons: accessible materials that focus on what copyright enables and permits, not just what it prohibits.
Literally Stealing the Show: A Brief (and Recent) History of Dance Copyright
JaQuel Knight, renowned choreographer behind Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and Cardi B’s “WAP,” choreography, recently made moves by launching Knight Choreography and Music Publishing Inc. Knight’s company will oversee rights to dance moves, similar to how music publishers protect the intellectual property of their own clients. In order to know why this is significant, let’s take a look back at the recent history of dance, copyright, and ALA Code of Ethics.
Fair Use Gone Viral: Predicting the Future of Copyright
Learn the future of fair use in less time than it takes to watch (an excellent) webinar! Our recap of “Fair Use Gone Viral: Predicting the Future of Copyright“ featuring Kenneth Crews, copyright scholar and librarian.
Copyright and Fanfiction: A Primer
Discouraging fanfiction isn’t the purpose of this post. There are many benefits to it. Writing fanfiction is an excellent writing exercise and an argument can be made that it creates more interest in the derivative work. However, understanding the role copyright plays is still important to be thoughtful and intentional with your (repurposed) art.
Justice Stevens on Intellectual Freedom
In recent profiles of Justice John Paul Stevens’s legacy, I learned of several of his important contributions to intellectual freedom like copyright, privacy, and the First Amendment.
The Public Domain Grows in 2019
For the first time this century, a wide array of artworks, books, music and films fell into the public domain. Works in the public domain, which now includes those created in 1923, are no longer under copyright protection, so anyone who enjoys creating something can make use of works in the public domain for inspiration. While the late 20th century saw a copyright term that only got longer, the 21st century sees the public domain finally grow.
Memes, Fair Use, and Privacy
Internet memes proliferate online. They catch on and spread via social media because they’re funny or they hit a nerve. Often, cats are involved. In using images taken from creative works or private life, memes show how copyright law intersects with issues of internet use and privacy.
The Librarian of Congress Wants to Know Your Thoughts on Copyright
Maria Pallante’s resignation has been pretty polarizing. Some see it as proof that the Librarian of Congress is interested in aggressively weakening copyright protections, while others see it as a possibility to finally start strengthening the public domain.
Copyright is Not Inevitable, Divine, or Natural Right
A case closed in India last month which is great news for students who use coursepacks or textbook excerpts. Fair use for education prevails.
Share, But Retain Your Rights: ‘Highsmith v. Getty’
Can Getty Images acquire images from the Library of Congress and sell them on its website? Uncover the details from this high profile court case.