This document provides a summary of key information about ethics, copyright, and fair use. It defines what can and cannot be protected by copyright, such as facts not being copyrightable but slogans potentially being protected by trademark law. The document outlines the rights that copyright provides creators, including the right to copy, distribute, perform and display works, as well as create derivative works. It also discusses fair use guidelines and factors, internet copyright, requesting permission, and the duration of U.S. copyright protection.

1. Everything You Wanted to Know About
Ethics, Copyright, & Fair Use Review
Fill in the blanks using the provided review sheet.
Type your answers in any color but black that can be
easily read. Show your instructor your completed
worksheet and save it in your Grade This folder.
What cannot be protected by copyright?
• Works, ideas and facts are in the public domain
• Words, names slogans, or short phrases cannot be copyrighted
(However, slogans can be protected by trademark law.)
• Blank forms
What does it mean if something is copyrighted?
• Copyright guarantees for the creator of a work the right to:
Copy--reproduce
• --distribute or sell
• --perform and display publicly
• --prepare new works based on the protected work
What is copyrighted?
• Literary works
• musical works, including words
• Dramatic works, including words
• Pantomimes and choreographic works
• Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
• Motion pictures and audio visual works
• Sound recordings
Internet copyright
• You cannot print web pages, photos, or other information from the internet without
Permission
• from the source
(These are considered literary works under copyright law.)
• The internet is NOT the public domain
• Assume a work is copyrighted

2. Tips for using the Internet
• Always credit the source
• of your information
• Find out if the author of a work (graphic, video, audio, etc.) provides information
on how to use his or her work. If explicit guidelines exist, follow them.
• Whenever feasible, ask the owner of the copyright for permission.
• Keep a hard copy of your request and the permission received.
Even if you are not selling it
• You may not be making a profit, BUT you are preventing someone else from making a
profit.
• It is still a violation if you give it away AND there can still be heavy damages if you hurt
the commercial value of the property.
Fair Use
• Criticism
• Comment
• News Reporting
• Teaching
• Scholarship
• Research
Fair Use factors (4)
• Purpose and character of use
(Is it nonprofit? Is it educational?)
• The nature of the copyrighted work
(Is it factual?
• The amount that is used
(Less is always better. Adhere to guidelines.)
• The effect of the use on the potential market
• (Are you preventing the creator from profiting financially?.)
Fair Use guidelines
• Music, Lyrics, and Music Videos:
--up to 10%, but no more than 30 seconds
• Illustrations or Photographs:
--no more than 5 images from one artist
--no more than 10% or 15 images from a collection
• Text Material:
--up to 10% or 1000 words
--_ 3 poems per poet, 5 poems from different poets from an anthology

3. • Motion Media:
--up to 10% or 3 minutes
• Multimedia Project:
--no more than 2 copies may be made of a project
• Numerical Data Set:
• --up to 10% or 2500 fields or cells from a database or data table
But it doesn’t have the little ©
• In the U.S., almost everything created privately and originally after April 1, 1989
is copyrighted and protected whether it has a notice or not
• Assume everything is copyrighted and may not be copied unless you have permission
from the copyright owner.
• But I cited the source
Just giving credit to the author or owner does not protect you from copyright law
violation. (In other words, just citing the source is NOT enough!)
• Licensing agreement w/ an author, publication, or company.
When should you get permission?
• When you intend to use the project for commercial or non-educational purposes
• When you plan to distribute the project beyond the scope of the guidelines
The best answer to this is ALWAYS!
The duration of U.S. copyright
• The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (signed in 1998) extended the protection
of copyrighted work for 20 years
• Works are now protected for life of the author plus years (it was previously life
plus 50)
What about software copyright?
• Most software is copyrighted (one piece of software for every one machine)
-- (for multiple machines) is available
• 1 archival copy (for purposes only) is allowed
• Shareware & freeware are still copyrighted
• Only software is not copyrighted
How do I make that little © without changing fonts?
• Hold the key down while individually typing 0 1 6 9 on the (to right)