If you work in a library, you may be the Copyright expert for your organization.

And if that makes you suddenly stop breathing in panic – I get you. It’s potentially a pretty scary place to be. But we are going to give you some tips and ideas to help you manage this tasks!

We have a bunch of information on our Copyright page, so browse through that.

Here are some basics to get you started.

•  http://www.copyright.gov/ This is where it all comes from – the home of copyright information for the US! We will be looking at individual sections of this site during class, but you may want to keep this bookmarked for your own purposes

Check out this (kinda long-feeling) video on Copyright law, as told by clips of less than ten seconds from Disney films! As an absolutely huge supporter of crushing people and firmly clutching their products to themselves, the Disney corporation has a not-lovely reputation in the legalities of Copyright. (If you watch a couple of minutes, you’ve got the idea; watch the whole thing for some good info!)

 

How can you get around Copyright law? There are four general pieces to Fair Use by someone who does not own the material. How will you know if you have guessed incorrectly on use? You will be the recipient of a massive copyright lawsuit! (It won’t be fun. Try to avoid this.) Here are the four factors that may be exemptions:

• First Factor: Purpose and Character
• Second Factor: Nature of Work
• Third Factor: Amount
• Fourth Factor: Market Effect

The information about all of these is detailed on this page from the library at Purdue University.

The Basics You Need to Know:

#1 Copyright is simple at the core: You create stuff, so you own it.

Well, if things were that simple we could wrap up our article here, and spend the rest of the afternoon sipping refreshing beverages at the beach! Of course things get complicated – and in that area of complication we will find enough drama, intrigue, and hostility to fill not only a summer class but thousands of books, articles, and websites. This is where things get exciting!

#2 Copyright is governed by federal law.

This is not an area where people can “try really hard” and be right. Being nice individuals, or not knowing they were breaking the law, does not save people accused of copyright violations. While there are not actual Copyright Police who will throw people in to Copyright Jail, there are substantial financial penalties involved for breaking the law.

Library people generally live in that gray zone between absolute right of the creators/owners of information, and freely sharing information with other people. It’s not an easy place to be, but we will look at a few ways you will be able to get your bearings, figure out what is going on, and help your users to stay (generally) on the right side of the law!

We will explore both the rigidity of law, and the fuzziness of exceptions to that law! Yes: it is always going to be a tightrope performance for you. Mistakes cost money, time, and possibly your job – so let’s practice here, with nets to support us, before you try this at work!

#3 Critical Thinking skills are important!

Some of the material you will find advocate breaking federal laws, or bending things in new ways, or hiding our own initiative and following rules that may run contrary to the intent of creators and users of content. You need to think for yourself: what is important in this discussion? What attributes of copyright are vital? Where does copyright go off the rails in protecting the economic interests of a few people? What kinds of stands, if any, do you want to make as an library person?? There are not going to be “right” answers to these questions – but there are answers that will be right, and wrong, for you. THINK! Be informed! Make good decisions for yourself!