The document discusses the ethics of copyright in the digital age. It notes that copyright lines have blurred as images and content can now easily be shared online. However, copyright law is important to protect creators' work and livelihoods. While some exceptions like fair use and public domain exist, permission is generally needed to reuse copyrighted works. The document argues that stakeholders in copyright, including creators, reusers and publishers, would benefit from better education about copyright law and how to legally and fairly use digital content.

1. The Ethics of Copyright Materials:
A New Age of Digital Media
Kansas State Polytechnic University
By Ashley Beach
April 12, 2016

2. Everyone Iknowthat can use a computer, has at one point has taken an image from a website:
google, bing, or maybe yahoo; unknowing or caring who took it or where it came from. This makes
everybody I know guilty of copyright infringement because these images are copyrighted. With the
Digital Age thatwe live incurrentlythe linesof copyright are becoming ever more blurred as to what is
acceptable and what is not acceptable. These lines need to be cleared up, because blur cannot be
toleratedhere. So I ask this question, “With the wealth of graphics and information we have access to
what can be used, how can it be used, and when can it be used?”
These are importantquestionsto know the answers to because copyright law is in place to not
just protect the creators of information and graphics we have ready access to, those who might use it
one day, but also those who even take a picture of their kids in the park. Of course it would seem that
copyright was a lot more clear cut before the internet. The article I read stated, “Greater computer
processing power and storage capacity, as well as the proliferation of file sharing on peer to peer
networks,have facilitatedthe unauthorizeduse of creative works.Asaconsequence,privateindividuals,
rather than commercial entities, are increasingly the targets of copyright enforcement efforts.” The
digital age ischangingthings,andcopyrightisn’tasclear cut as it seemsanymore.The U.S.copyrightAct
states that a copyright exists once an original work or authorship is fixed in any tangible medium of
expression from which it can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated. It should be
clarified however, that copyright infringement is not the same thing as theft. This was established
because someone committingcopyrightinfringement is not completely taking control of the copyright
or depriving the author of ownership, therefore they are not committing theft. Copyright only lasts a
certainperiodof time,foran individual copyrightlasts their lifespan and 75 years after they pass away.
On worksforhire copyrightrunsfor 95 yearsfrom the first publication. Once the copyright has expired
the works enter into public domain.

3. There are differentwaysaroundcopyrightorexclusionstocopyrightlaw.The first is getting the
authors permission straight out to use their work. All other exemptions from copyright are under
labeledunderfairuse. The firstisthe abilitytore-sale,notreproduce.The secondiscriticism,comment,
newsreporting,teachingwhich extends to making multiple copies for classroom use, scholarship, and
research. However, these are all determined on a case-by-case basis.
Some people thinkthatcopyrightisn’t strict enough, and that nobody should be able to re-use
anybodyelse’swork.The problemwiththisview is that people can re-use a piece and change it legally
75% or more and it’s now their work, not the author of the original piece because the piece is
completelyunrecognizable.Othersthinkthatcopyrightshouldn’texist,and the problem with that view
isthat people workhardon their creations, and if others can legal just snatch their hard work from out
fromunderthem,theywill neverbe able tomake anymoneyoff of theirownwork,while othersmaybe
gettingrichoff of it. Many people don’t care either way because they believe it doesn’t involve them.
Unfortunatelyitdoesinvolve thembecause anybodywhohastakenapicture or wrote an original paper,
painted a painting, is covered under copyright protect. Copy right is necessary now more than ever,
because of the internet and social media. Anybody has access to anything you post on the internet or
social media, at any given time. Copyright is what keeps them from taking your kids pictures from
facebook, or twitter, or your mommy blog that you post on daily. That’s where the view of where I
believe most people stand comes in; if you don’t want it re-used you shouldn’t post it online where
people cancopyit so easily.The issue withthisview isthat,it’snotfair.Whensomeone takesa piece of
workoffline andre-usesitwithoutthe authors’ permission,theyare breakingthe law,and this view is a
classic blame the victim scenario our society seems so found of.
Stakeholders have much to be concerned about with this, because almost everybody is a
stakeholderasI listedabove,butjusttore-iterate;creators,re-users,andpublishers.Peoplewhocreate
these worksoftentimesdonotwantpeople tojustre-use themwithoutpermissionandif they do, they

4. can typicallylisteditsuchwhenthey’reuploadingtheir work to the internet. There are different labels
that can be placed such as: not for re-use, for re-use, for re-used with alterations, and re-use without
alterations to name a few of the most common. When someone commits copyright infringement on
someone else’s work they are more than likely losing money, and also are not getting the credit they
deserve.Re-usersare stakeholders,becausetheyare the people whocantake a creationandturn itinto
somethingelse,re-usersshould be protecting themselves by using the tools offered while looking for
work to use online by searching images with re-use tags. Re-users may have even more a stake than
original creators, because not only could they lose money because of a copyright lawsuit, but their
reputation could be destroyed by it as well. Publishers are also stakeholders because they could
potentiallylose moneyandtheirreputationif theypublishsomething that is copyrighted unknowingly.
While Ibelievethatcopyright is important, my view is that people should educate themselves
on howto use downloadablemateriallegally and fairly. If we know the law and obey the law, then the
likelihoodof havingtodeal withacopyrightinfringementlawsuitisdrasticallylowered.Ithinkthisis the
bestwaybecause I designall kindsof things,andIshare those designswithpeople becauseI’mproudof
themand wantpeople tosee them,butI don’t want people to download them and sell them, because
that rightbelongstome unlessIam willingtoshare thatright withyou,whichI’mnot.My answerwould
be to be stricter on copyright law, but also make sure that people are informed about how copyright
works and why it’s in place for everyone’s protection.
Bibliography
States, Congress Of The United, and Congressional Budget Office. CBO(n.d.): n. pag. Web.