I think my feelings about copyright law could best be summarized through a haiku I just wrote about them:
Copyright Laws
Make me want to tear out my hair
Their oppression makes me want to scream
The laws make it hard to function
Silly, silly law
After writing such an eloquent poem I might be afraid that the content of my creative efforts would be stolen, but fear not, since I am writing on this blog, my haiku is now copy written. Today I learned how restrictive, and ridiculous, copyright laws are. I learned that if you are showing a movie to a class for educational purposes that it is copyright violation if you have not obtained permission to show it. Previously, I had assumed that as long as you were not profiting from a work or showing it in a large public forum where passerbies could view it, then showing a movie for educational purposes was permissible. I also learned that having students listen to a song in class could also violate copyright law. Basically, copyright law limits me showing anything to a class in its entirety unless I made it myself. I guess that means I need to be more creative.
I believe that certain aspects of copyright law, as they are written today, are fair. The requirement that an author be paid when someone is profiting from his work is very good and right. Unfairness results when items may not be easily used for educational purposes. Though there is greater protection for educators in their use of various materials, it still brings additional stress to teaching since I now must also be concerned with violating copyright law on top of all my teaching responsibilities. I think that the law should protect work when an individual is attempting to profit from it, but that the work should remain open in the public domain otherwise. Further, I think it is absolutely ridiculous how long copyrights last. The fact that a written work can be covered by copyright law for SEVENTY years after the author is deceased wrong. That would mean that the work could be out of the public domain for around 7 generations and that is just too long.
To make sure I am complying with the fair use act, I need to make sure that the school I work at has copyright permission for the resources I am using. Also, by sticking to mainly items produced by the government, I can rest assured that the items are in the public domain and that I am not required to obtain copyright permission in order to use them. Further, in my classroom I will probably spend a nominal amount of time discussing copyright law and the importance of it so that students are aware of how to use resources appropriately. I will give them general guidelines for using copy written material so that they are protected when they use others’ work later in life.
Copyright Laws
Make me want to tear out my hair
Their oppression makes me want to scream
The laws make it hard to function
Silly, silly law
After writing such an eloquent poem I might be afraid that the content of my creative efforts would be stolen, but fear not, since I am writing on this blog, my haiku is now copy written. Today I learned how restrictive, and ridiculous, copyright laws are. I learned that if you are showing a movie to a class for educational purposes that it is copyright violation if you have not obtained permission to show it. Previously, I had assumed that as long as you were not profiting from a work or showing it in a large public forum where passerbies could view it, then showing a movie for educational purposes was permissible. I also learned that having students listen to a song in class could also violate copyright law. Basically, copyright law limits me showing anything to a class in its entirety unless I made it myself. I guess that means I need to be more creative.
I believe that certain aspects of copyright law, as they are written today, are fair. The requirement that an author be paid when someone is profiting from his work is very good and right. Unfairness results when items may not be easily used for educational purposes. Though there is greater protection for educators in their use of various materials, it still brings additional stress to teaching since I now must also be concerned with violating copyright law on top of all my teaching responsibilities. I think that the law should protect work when an individual is attempting to profit from it, but that the work should remain open in the public domain otherwise. Further, I think it is absolutely ridiculous how long copyrights last. The fact that a written work can be covered by copyright law for SEVENTY years after the author is deceased wrong. That would mean that the work could be out of the public domain for around 7 generations and that is just too long.
To make sure I am complying with the fair use act, I need to make sure that the school I work at has copyright permission for the resources I am using. Also, by sticking to mainly items produced by the government, I can rest assured that the items are in the public domain and that I am not required to obtain copyright permission in order to use them. Further, in my classroom I will probably spend a nominal amount of time discussing copyright law and the importance of it so that students are aware of how to use resources appropriately. I will give them general guidelines for using copy written material so that they are protected when they use others’ work later in life.
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