Copyright this!

Despite the somewhat defiant title of my post, I'm a great believer in copyright laws. Without them, why would any of us compose symphonies, write a novel, code a new application, or perform any feat of original creativity? We learned a great deal about copyright laws this week and the most interesting thing I took away from it is how the laws have responded to advances in technology. The 1909 update came about when radio and film were first beginning to emerge as new channels of communication. At that point, we were still eighteen years away from the first all-talking film.

I've seen some websites discussing the issue of copyrights and screenshots, but most of the commentary I've read is that a screenshot could be considered a derivative work since it's an adaptation of an established work. It could fall under fair use guidelines, depending on how it is being used. Here's a link with a discussion about it.

Educators, I imagine, must walk a fine line when utilizing copyrighted materials in class. The threat of legal action is very real. Distance educators face more stringent guidelines. The TEACH act became law in 2002 and spelled out more guidelines about how distance educators can use copyrighted materials.