April 06, 2007
fair use
Although fair use is useful for consumers, one of the problems is that there is no limit as to how many words or line on can take without permission of the author. It is very interesting to note that just because we acknowledge the work of the author does not mean that we have the permission to use his/her work. I think that this is an interesting point, especially for college students because it puts into perspective how much information we can take either from the internet or book and quote it in our paper. So far no professor, as far as I know, has complained about how much information was quoted by the student, and hopefully we won’t get to that point.
The question that was on my mind when I was writing is that: would websites that are for research such as Google, be in trouble because they provide us this information that we use without the permission of the author?
March 31, 2007
fair use
One of the components of Copyright is fair use. Fair use is ‘…is any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and "transformative" purpose such as to comment upon, criticize or parody a copyrighted.’ Through fair use, you do not have to have to rights of the author in order to use its work. Fair use allows us to copy an author’s work for our own private work. I think that is what I was trying to say in my previous blogs. Thanks to fair use, we students are able to copy works of authors in the internet and use it on our research papers or projects. As a result, fair use can be used for commentary criticism and parody.
You can check you this video about fair use and google. I think it can help us, especially since we are college students and need the internet to do almost everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmU2i1hQiN0
March 24, 2007
copyrights changes
Before I move on to fair on to fair use, I thought it would interesting to talk about the different changes that occurred in the copyright laws. It is important that we know some of the changes because we can unknowingly get into serious trouble. What I have learned since coming in the United States seven years ago is that the government does not play with its laws: if you do the crime, you have to do the time. The penalties can go up to $150,000 with civil and criminal charges included.
Some of the changes that occurred:
1.the lengthening of copyrights protection: so you have to double check the date of the work being use, to make sure that it is the correct one
2.The liability of the individual has increase. To my understanding it means that whether the information is taken from a website or a book, the individual is very liable, if found guilty
3.the TEACH ACT (2002) which is for distance learning
a.allows limited use of a work- you have to use discretion, especially college students when they want to do research work
b.reinforces the fair use doctrine- to what extend can it be used without being abusive
Some of the reviews can be beneficial, more so than others. I cannot stress how much research is important when it comes to using the works of authors.
March 17, 2007
copyrights myths
I thought this topic would be interesting: the different myths about copyright. Before I start I want to be clear that I do not see anything wrong with copyright. I think that it is an important provision put in place in order to safeguard the works of artists. It is very important that they be recognized for their works. What I have a problem with is the extend at which the copyright laws are stretched. Even thought they are not enforced, sooner or later someone is going to take the fall for the violations of copyright laws. As we know, Google is already in trouble on this topic.
Anyways, here are some of the myths about it:
1.If there is no symbol of the copyright on the work, then it is ok to use it.
Wrong: the symbol has not been used since 1989, but the laws still applies
2.If the work is too old and the owner is dead, it is ok to use it.
Wrong: whether the owner is dead or not, if the work is still under copyright, the law still applies
3.if I use it for educational purposes, then I have fair use
Wrong: it is important to look at the Fair Use laws, because almost everything can be considered as fair use
4.if it is the author’s work, then it is ok for him to use it
Wrong: Some authors sign off some of their rights, so they themselves need to make sure that it is ok for them to use their own work
5. if I copy a little bit, then it is ok
Wrong: even if 1% of the work is being use, to be on the safe side, do the research before using it
March 08, 2007
copyright investigation
One way to protect ourselves from copyright suits is to investigate the works of the author before its use. I looked up some information on how to do so; it was interesting to see that even looking up some information on copyright is a limited activity. There is just so far you can go with your search. Before you even start your search, you have to be familiar with a couple of copyrights laws such as: the Copyright Act of 1976, the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. Although you have some general rules that are similar in these acts, you might have a couple of exemptions that can hamper your search process. This can be a problem, especially for the less educated in the society, or even those that do not have time to do a thorough search on every work they have to use. As a student, if I have to research every work before using it, this would cut out the time that I would for research on my paper.
You even have limitations on the searches made. Some of them are: not all of the works that are copyrights are published, so you might get in trouble by using a book or work that you did not know what copyright. Copyright also does not protect names and titles. The trademarks laws are there to protect the names. I would think that it is would be easier to have everything under the copyright laws, because all the laws cover one point: protection. I would be easier not only for the consumers, but for the lawmakers themselves.
If you want more information about this please check out this website, it is an interesting one: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ22.html
March 03, 2007
copyright
I know I received a lot of questions thinking that I am confusing copyright with maybe plagiarism. In fact they are kind of similar, because they both pertain in some people copying other people work without their permission. As stated before we students should be very concern about this topic, I don’t want to be told how much information I should retrieve out of the internet for a research paper. That would be in contraction with what the internet is for: helping me get as much information as possible within a limited time frame. There are in fact circumstances where one has to ask for permission in order to use the works of an author. The permission has to be in writing, clearly stating why and how the work would be used. You have to submit two copies: one for the rights-holders and another one for your own records. No one is to say whether you will be able to obtain a yes, after you go through the hassle to writing a letter. This process makes it really hard for the society to use others work. As far as I am concerned, it is not very up building, especially if our goal as a society is to help one another grow. Using another’s work, as long it the credit is being given is ok, that way you promote togetherness and not separation within the society.
By the way a sample of a permission letter can be found here: http://library.case.edu/copyright/permissionsample.pdf
February 24, 2007
copyright
As stated before Copyrighting is using someone else’s work without permission. That would include using the internet or books without citing your works. Copyrighting also include making copies of DVDs or videos without permission. Although all video or DVDs now our days whether it be music or films are encrypted, some geniuses among us have found ways to go around the obstacle. If they are caught, it is most unfortunate for them because they can spend some time in jail or loose a lot of money.
I thought this topic is very interesting especially for college students because of the amount of data sharing that we do. I am not very familiar with computers, but because I have some friends that are, they have introduced me to a different world. I have realize that I am able to get anything film or music that I want without spending a penny; and some I can even get before they hit the store. All I have to do is install the software and I am set. Although I don’t use it for commercial gain, would I be considered exploiting to artist. As far as I am concern, I don’t believe I am doing any harm to them, but others might think differently.
What about sites that the campus offers us such as DC++ where students share a wealth of knowledge. Is that considered dangerous too, since a group of people are sharing knowledge that they would pay a lot of money in order to get it? In my opinion, I say no, but others might disagree with me, so what do you all think. If the ones using these sites are not punished, it is fair for others to be? Because I know for a fact that other websites cannot be used to download information, which is the same information that I download for free.