Every web author, and probably every web user,
should know the basics of copyright
restrictions and fair use provisions, and there is a lot of
very useful, explanatory material available on the web dealing with
copyright issues.
Copyright Basics for Web Authors and Users,
by Jukka "Yucca" Korpela,
gives some quick rules-of-thumb and also provides links to more detailed information.
Copyright & Fair Use, by the Stanford
University Libraries, is an exhaustive website
that defines concepts such as fair use, public domain, permissions, etc.
Copyright Guidelines for the Web,
What You Can and Cannot Do on the Internet and the Web is a nice clear
article, written by Walt Howeby, who does not claim to be a lawyer.
Copyright and Multimedia Law
for Webbuilders and Multimedia Authors includes a detailed list of annotated links
for further information.
Don't forget to check the
Crash Course in Copyright
by Georgia Harper. For example, here is how she starts her "crash course":
Someone owns just about everything
Fair use lets you use their things
- But not as much as you'd like to
Sometimes you have to ask for permission
Sometimes you are the owner - think about that!
"As a general rule, most works enter the public domain because of old age. This
includes any work published in the United States before 1923. Another large
block of works are in the public domain because they were published before
1964 and copyright was not renewed. (Renewal was a requirement for works
published before 1978.) A smaller group of works fell into the public domain
because they were published without copyright notice (copyright notice was
necessary for works published in the United States before March 1, 1989). Some
works are in the public domain because the owner has indicated a
desire to give them to the public without copyright protection. The rules
establishing the public domain status for each of these types of works are
different and more details are provided throughout this chapter." Source:
fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter8/
Copyright, Intellectual Property Rights, and Licensing Issues is an
organized, annotated index of links to resources about copyright.
The Copyright Clearance Center promises to
make it easier to obtain permissions, but for a fee!
What do I think that you need to remember about copyright?
- One good rule-of-thumb is
to proceed cautiously and stay out of trouble by
trying to get permission to use an image or text. For example, my
permission to use a scholarly paper, www.nvcc.edu/home/cevans/Versailles/papers/Schmitt_paper.html.
- Second,
try to use your own images (for example, my image of the book Peacemaking 1919,
www.nvcc.edu/home/cevans/Versailles/diplomats/house/Historiography.html)
and materials (for example, my introduction to the Paris Peace Conference,
www.nvcc.edu/home/cevans/Versailles/Introduction.html) as much as possible. (Remember
to always include your own copyright statement).
- Third, if practical, try to use materials that are
not copyrighted (for example, a Tasker Bliss letter, www.nvcc.edu/home/cevans/Versailles/archives/Bliss_121818.html) or whose copyright has
expired (for example, the photo of the Big Four,
www.nvcc.edu/home/cevans/Versailles/images/Big4.html).
- Finally, always credit your
sources (see my citation above on this page of fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter8/).
- Some of these solutions are not always practical give a specific subject. In that case,
I think that need to develop your own graphics. Check out the simple
graphics (star, title and flower) that
I developed for use on our Dogwood Project home page.
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