What is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. What that means is that, as the author of the work, you alone have the right to do any of the following or to let others do any of the following: * make copies of your work * distribute copies of your work * perform your work publicly (such as for plays, film, dances or music) * display your work publicly (such as for artwork, or stills from audiovisual works, or any material used on the Internet or television); and * make “derivative works” (including making modifications, adaptations or other new uses of a work, or translating the work to another media)

Why should I care?

As the creator of your work, you should have the right to control what people can and cannot do with your work. Just think of all the cool songs your favorite band wrote, the great books you loved reading, the plays, movies and television shows you love to watch again and again. These talented musicians, authors, illustrators and screenwriters deserve our respect and appreciation - and they deserve to make a living from the hard work they put into their creative works. That's what copyright is all about. It reflects our appreciation for all the hard work that goes into creating "original works of authorship" and respect for the right of the creator of that work to control what people can and cannot do with it.

So what’s protected?

Copyright protects "original works of authorship" that are fixed in "a tangible form of expression." Copyrightable works fall into the following categories: - literary works (which includes computer software); - musical works, including any accompanying words; - dramatic works, including any accompanying music ; - pantomimes and choreographic works; - pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; - motion pictures and other audiovisual works; - sound recordings; and - architectural works. sound recordings sound recordings

Not everything is protected by copyright law. The following are categories of things not protected: - Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, discoveries, or devices, (but written or recorded descriptions, explanations, or illustrations of such things are protected copyright); - Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; mere listings of ingredients or contents (but some titles and words might be protected under trademark law if their use is associated with a particular product or service); - Works that are not fixed in a tangible form of expression, such as an improvised speech or performance that is not written down or otherwise recorded; - Works consisting entirely of information that is commonly available and contains no originality (for example, standard calendars, standard measures and rulers, lists or tables compiled from public documents or other common sources); and - Works by the US government.

What is Copyright Infringement?

Anyone who uses any of the exclusive rights of copyright without the copyright owner's permission commits copyright infringement. Any money earned has to be repaid to the copyright owner. Statutory damages - amount set by a judge that is usually higher can also be required. Even criminal charges can be filed.

Copyright exists automatically upon creation - as long as it is in a tangible form.

How long do copyrights last?

Copyrights do not last forever, but they do last a pretty long time. Under the current laws, copyright protection starts from the moment of creation of the work and continues until 70 years after the death of the author or artist. When the term of a copyright expires (meaning it's finished), the work falls into what's called the "public domain." When a work is in the public domain anyone can copy it and use it without permission. In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors, the term of copyright lasts for 70 years after the last surviving author's death. For anonymous works the duration of copyright will be 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation (whichever is shorter).

The copyright of works created before 1978 expired after 28 years but were eligible for renewal for another 28 years. However, don’t assume that any work is in the public domain unless it was first published before 1923 because terms were extended by later laws.

What is Fair Use?

Fair Use allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes. The copyright law provides that reproduction "for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research" is not an infringement of copyright.

Fair Use Guidelines for multimedia projects.

Motion Media Up to 10% or 3 minutes, whichever is less

Text Material Up to 10% or 1000 words, whichever is less.

Music, Lyrics, and Music Video Up to 10%, but in no event more than 30 seconds

Illustrations and Photographs A photograph or illustration may be used in its entirety but no more than 5 images by an artist or photographer may be reproduced or otherwise incorporated as part of an educational multimedia project.

You may make a back-up copy of any CD or DVD.