The Internet & Copyright Issues What Students And Teachers Need To Know By Kevin Kearney

Just what is “copyright” To narrow it down, A copyright gives the author certain exclusive rights to their work for a limited time. By Kevin Kearney

Some “rights” of the copyright owner By Kevin Kearney  They have the right to make copies of their “own” work.  They retain the right to distribute copies of their work.  They control the right to display their copyrighted work publicly.

Why do we need copyright laws? By Kevin Kearney  To promote and protect creative works. If more money can be generated from copyrighted works it is likely that they will increase.  Copyright laws give the “author” control over how their work is presented or reproduced.

What is “creative work”  Something uniquely produced by the author, designer, composer, photographer, etc.  It cannot be a simple listing of facts.  It has to be presented in some concrete form – on film, on tape, on paper, etc.  IT can include creative editing or collecting of others work – but this must be compiled in a unique way.

Some basic copyright laws we “NEED” to know! By Kevin Kearney  Online publications are likely copyright protected even if no notification of copyright exists.  You “MUST” get the author’s permission to use their work. This applies to basing your work on another’s settings and characters, using another’s images, pictures, text, etc.

*** Fair Use *** By Kevin Kearney  There are times when it considered “fair” to use another’s work without permission. These times are usually limited to critiques of the work, teaching about it or studying it. In all cases, you should cite the original source.

When should we cite references? By Kevin Kearney  As a rule of thumb, we should cite another persons work as a reference whenever we use that work to help us create or design our own product or production

How do we cite references? By Kevin Kearney There are many methods of citing references The APA model is the most widely accepted. APA Example: (Internet only Journal article) Doe, J. (2003, September 2). Learning about copyright issues. Copyright and Application, 3 Article 1a. Retrieved September 5, 2003, from

A few APA reference sites By Kevin Kearney Citing References: APA Style (5th ed.) nt Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials Reference Examples for Electronic Source Materials (APA Guide 5 th ed.)

References By Kevin Kearney  Manitoba Education and Youth. (December, 2002). Canadian Copyright Information. Retrieved June 30, 2003:  Templeton, B. (nd). A Brief Intro to Copyright. Retrieved June 30, 2003:  The Commonwealth of Learning. (February, 2003). Copyright and the Web. Retrieved June 30, 2003: