What High Schoolers Should Know About Copyright Laws

on

What Should I Know About Copyright Laws?

— High School Edition —

Ethical Use of Information

You have probably always been told, "don't copy other people's work", "piracy is a crime", and other phrases that mean the same thing: plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you take someone else's work and pass it off as your own. But what if you want to "borrow" someone's work to emphasize your point of view in a report, incorporate images for a poster, or use someone's initial idea and run with it? That's where ethical use of information comes into play. Ethical uses of information include copyright, fair use, creative commons, and public domain.

Copyright

I'm sure you've all seen the © copyright symbol, but what does it really mean? Copyright was created to promote and incentivize people to be creative and share their innovations, writing, art, etc. with the world without fear of theft (plagiarism). Anything you make is safe under copyright protection so long as it’s your own.

To use copyrighted material you must get permission from the original source first.

As a student, this is where Fair Use comes into play.

Be smart about what you include in your projects. Citing informational text that supports your argument is less likely to cause a problem than including a copyrighted image that doesn’t.

Fair Use

Fair use is an actual legal document allowing the use of copyrighted material to be used under certain circumstances. This means you can use most copyrighted materials for educational purposes. This expands your ability to come up with and defend your own thoughts and ideas with evidence. To use copyrighted material, you must ask yourselves these questions:

  • What is your purpose or intention with regard to the use of the copyrighted material?
    • Non-profit / educational purposes and non-commerical use are okay BUT the intended use must be weighted against the following questions.
  • What was the original idea behind the copyrighted material?
    • Novels, movies, or songs are less likely to be considered "fair use" because they are creative.
    • Technical books or news items where facts are being distributed are considered "fair use" because they are factual.
  • How much of the copyrighted work are you using?
    • Using small amounts of copyrighted work, enough to support your ideas, are okay EXCEPT if the small amount used is considered the "heart of the work", aka the main idea.
    • Using large amounts of copyrighted work is not acceptable under fair use.
  • Will the use of this material hurt its market for or value of the original material?
    • Are you redistributing potential sales or harming the works future earnings potential?

Very important to remember: "there is no formula to ensure that a predetermined percentage or amount of a work—or specific number of words, lines, pages, copies—may be used without permission." (U.S. Copyright Office)

Do you research! Find out how the materials you are using are treated under Fair Use! It will surprise you how many stipulations there are!

Creative Commons License

What is a Creative Commons license? It's a license that allows people to use work / materials that other people have created. The creators define how they want to share their work through the Creative Commons. There are six different types of license under Creative Commons. Let's take a look!

CC BY (By as in Give Credit)

This guy all by himself means you must give credit to the creator of the media. It allows you to "distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator." (Creative Commons)

CC BY-SA (Shared Adaptations)

The rewinding C symbol—preceded with the the CC BY license—means you must credit the creator AND when you "remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms." (Creative Commons)

CC BY-NC (Non-Commerical)

The crossed-out money symbol—preceded with the the CC BY license—means you are allowed to "distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator." (Creative Commons)

CC BY-NC-SA (Give Credit, Non-Commerical, Share Adaptations)

By combining the "guy" (CC BY), the "rewinding C" (CC BY-SA), and the "crossed-out money symbol" (CC BY-NC) you can create a license that allows you to "distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms." (Creative Commons)

CC BY-ND (Give Credit, No Derivatives aka No Adaptations)

The "equal sign" means you have permission to share the media—preceded with the the CC BY license—WITHOUT making changes. So you can "copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use." (Creative Commons)

CC BY-NC-ND (Give Credit, Non-Commerical, No Derivatives aka No Adaptations)

By combining the "guy" (CC BY), "crossed-out money symbol" (CC BY-NC), and the "equal sign" you can create a license that allows you to "copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator." (Creative Commons)

CCO (Public Domain)

Last but not least we have "public domain". Creators can give up their copyright and add their work into the public domain which allows you to "distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, with no conditions." (Creative Commons)

Want to get the full low-down? Visit the Creative Commons website for the complete details.

Credit: Creative Commons logos are from https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/

Public Domain

You can use, change, and share materials without copyright rules. You’re free to do what you want. Just don’t confuse Creative Commons licenses (adds rules on how content is shared) with Public Domain!

Just because it’s free, doesn’t mean you have to use it. 

Ask yourself:

  • Does it support your idea? 
    • Yes? Go for it! 
    • No? Don’t use it.
  • Does it add fluff to your project? 
    • Yes? Save it for another project that fits.
    • No? Go for it!

Take Away

The most important take away from this is to do your own research about what is able to be used and to cite your sources. You are the only one responsible for your use of found materials.


Ethical Uses of Information Infographic

* Blog adapted from the Ethical Uses of Information: High School Edition infographic created by Rochelle Hickey

Sources

Creative Commons. “About CC Licenses.” Creative Commons, Creative Commons, 2019, creativecommons.org/share-your-work/cclicenses/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

Lagola, Karen. “A Teacher’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 22 Mar. 2021, www.edutopia.org/article/teachers-guide-copyright-and-fair-use. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

---. “How to Teach Copyright and Fair Use to Students.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 9 Apr. 2021, www.edutopia.org/article/how-teach-copyright-and-fair-use-students. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.U.S. Copyright Office. “Chapter 2 - Circular 92 | U.S. Copyright Office.” Www.copyright.gov, U.S. Copyright Office, www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

---. “U.S. Copyright Office.” Www.copyright.gov, 2019, www.copyright.gov/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.

---. “U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index.” Www.copyright.gov, U.S. Copyright Office, Nov. 2023, www.copyright.gov/fair-use/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.

Volle, Adam. “Public Domain | Definition, Examples, Years, & Copyright | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/public-domain. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.


Comments

Post a Comment