Copyright - part 7

Progress Challenge 7:

Copyright basics

By Colleen Sedgwick

Go back to the short introductory piece you viewed on YouTube: • Copyright Basics, Copyright Clearance Center: LINK 17

Based on the contents of that video and your own understanding thus far, summarise all the key points of basic copyright knowledge. This should be done in no less than 6 points and 150 words.

Complete the above challenge and then click LINK 18 to upload.

Answer

The Video is based on US copyright law rather than Australian, but still carries many of the same principles. Basically, the assistant emails the copies of some report off to a client, not knowing the implications of what she had done (that is, distributing the document without asking her boss if it was okay for her to do so). It was her boss who pointed out that under article 1 of section 8, that:

1. whoever created captured, wrote down or recorded the material has the exclusive right to copy, distribute, display or perform their work, and that makes them the 'owner' of the Copyright
2. Noone else can do so without getting their permission from the creators and holders of that work.
3. Copyright protection is automatic whenever the creator of the work does something and it is published. Copyright holders don't have to apply for registration, though trade-mark holiders do (if they are a business).
4. The (c) symbol is used to indicate that something is protected by copyright law, and although it is not compulsory to use it on your work, it is still a good idea.
5. If anyone else wants to use even just part of the work, they must acknowledge the source (that is, who the work is created by) through referencing (this is also called 'Fair Use”).
6. Even if a person owns a book, CD, DVD or anything else, he or she does not own the Copyright to that item, and still must obtain permission from either the Copyright holder themselves, or their agents, if they are to use it for their own work.