Copy+Kings

= A Student's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use =

Welcome to our Wiki page!! This Wiki is created to help our students better understand and learn about copyright and fair use laws and guidelines. Our world is becoming more and more digital. Learning to be responsible users and creators in this digital world is important for everyone participating.

Copyright *  The moment something is created (painting, photo, writing, song, video, etc.), the creator owns a copyright for that work. There is no paperwork or any fees that the creator must deal with.

 The law currently states that a copyright lasts for the life of the creator (or if there is more than one author, the life of the longest living one), plus 70 years. If a piece of work has no official person as the owner but is “owned” by a corporation (such as a movie or t.v. show owned by the company that produced it), the copyright is for 95 years.

Fair Use*  Fair use allows the general population and, in particular, those in education to use a copyrighted work if that use has several conditions present. All four of the following must be considered when borrowing work that is copyrighted: 1. The purpose or intention for which the work is being borrowed. If it is for educational, teaching purposes then it is fair use.

2. How much of the work is being used. A small portion in relation to the size of the work is what needs to be considered.

3. Whether the section used is minimal and does not, in a sense, abridge the entire work.

4. The next standard is the most important, whether the use of the work diminishes its sales: Marketability cannot be affected by this alternate distribution of the work.

//*Special thanks here for clarity regarding Copyright and Fair Use to: // [|A Teacher's Guide to Fair Use and Copyright]

Scenarios Page -- Take the Copyright and Fair Use Quiz

Links for Students and Educators

Note: These pages provide a simplified version of copyright laws and regulations. Please check the [|More Information] section for sources of more detailed explanations.
 * Giving credit to your source ||
 * || An opening screen of a presentation must indicate that it follows the "fair use" rules of the U.S. Copyright law ||
 * || Copyright information for all items used must be included in a bibliography ||

Pre-Planning Email Notes!