Journal+Articles

10 Big Myths about copyright explained Brad Templeton The article explained not only ten but eleven myths about copyright. When dealing with written material, whether digital or otherwise, a person needs to keep in mind his or her intent for using the material. Even if the person will not be getting financial gain from using the material, the user is still violating copyright laws. The number of words being used from the original source needs to be considered as well, making sure to correctly site what is used. Public domain also does not exist anymore unless the owner specifically states that the material is in the public domain. A writer also does not have to worry about losing the copyright; it is never be lost. As a writer, he or she needs to be aware of other writers’ work and making sure not to copy characters or ideas. Basing a work on someone else’s violated copyright law; even if it is not exactly the same. If a person does violate copyright law and is in a court, he or she needs to understand that it is not criminal laws but civil laws that were violated. This makes defendant’s rights different and even though it is in criminal court, copyright violation is a felony. People need to realize that even though it might not be hurting anyone, copyright law needs to be followed. If one is unsure of whether to use the material or not, contact the author and find out. Even though one has a copy of another person’s work, that does not mean he or she has the copyright for the work. The final myth is in response to the first ten. It seems like the easiest solution is to not reproduce anything. The author suggests keeping in mind the purpose of copyright, “to protect the author’s right to obtain commercial benefit from valuable work, and to protect the author’s general right to control how a work is used.”

This article has useful information in it. It is overwhelming to consider all of these when dealing with copyright law. The article did clarify some points, however, some of the terms are difficult to explain and comprehend. As teachers, it is important to keep up on these laws and have enough knowledge of them to explain them to the students. Teachers also need to put these into practice in the classroom, making sure that for all assignments copyright laws are followed. Copyright law is put in place to protect a person’s written ideas and they should be followed.