1. LaTonya Greer Copyright Information for Educators

2. Copyright Questions What is Copyright? What Can Be Copyrighted? How Long Does Copyright Last? What is Fair Use? Alternatives to copyright.

3. What is Copyright? Copyright allows authors, musicians, artists, etc. to make money off of their labor. It prevents others from taking there work for free. It also prevents people from altering the work without permission.

4. What Can Be Protected? Literary Works Musical Works Dramatic Works Choreographic Work Pictorial, Graphic, and Sculptural Works Motion Pictures and AV Sound Recordings Architectural Works

5. How Long Does Copyright Last? A copyright last for life plus 70 years for individuals for anything on or after 1978. A copyright lasts for 95 years for corporate authors after publication for anything on or after 1978. (It is 120 years after creation if not published.) Works published before 1978 and after 1923 are protected for 95 years.

6. Copyright is Automatic The copyright is in force when the work is “fixed” which includes saving to disk or writing it on paper.

7. Public Domain Anything in the public domain is useable by anyone in any way that they want. No one owns it. Everything published before 1923 is in the public domain. US federal works are in the public domain. Authors can choose to put work in the public domain by including a notice that the item is in the public domain.

8. What is Fair Use? Use of material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Limitations apply. This includes consideration of the purpose, nature, amount and the effect of the use on potential value of work.

9. More Fair Use You can use excerpts from a book to write a review of it. However, you can’t reproduce whole chapters of the book for reviewing purposes without permission.

10. Alternatives to Copyright Licenses – Creators can retain copyright but allow people to use content under certain terms. For example, the copyright can allow schools to use content for free and without permission. Open License – Others can use but must credit original source. Further, any version that others create must also have the open license and be useable by others as well.

11. References Carter, Mary E. (1996). Electronic highway robbery: An artist's guide to copyrights in the digital era. Berkeley, California: Peachpit Press. Talab, R. S. (2002). Commonsense copyright. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company.