Web207: Topic 2.0: Copyright

This week we covered what is expected for the next 2 assignments and copyright issues. Here are my notes from the lecture and readers:

• Remixing and mashing up is taking bits from several pieces of media to make something new
• Society has progressed from a read only media culture to a read-write culture. We not only read, but we comment and make remixes and mashups to comment, compliment original authors or share content
• Our copyright laws leave a lot to be desired. For our assignment it is suggested we use the 'Fair Dealing Clause'
• In every day life it is good practice to credit every source you use (content and images)
• There are exceptions to the copyright law, but in most works copyright lasts for 70 years AFTER THE AUTHOR'S DEATH
• Australia's Fair Dealing Clause is similar to (but not the same as) the US Fair Use Clause
• The US also has a 'Transformative Clause' where if content is change enough it is considered new work BUT Australia does NOT have this clause
• Fair Dealing can be used for research and study; criticism and review; news reporting; reproduction for the purposes of judicial proceedings or legal professional advice; parody and satire and can be declared if you are only using 10% or one chapter of a book. BUT THESE RULES DO NOT APPLY IF YOU ARE PUTTING YOUR WORK ON THE INTERNET!!!
• Therefore Fair Dealing is really only accepted if it is 'criticism and review' and possibly 'parody and satire'
• Another alternative is to ask original authors for permission to use their content or images
• Another alternative is to use content and images under Creative Commons Licence as long as you attribute them
• The final alternative is to use the public domain which no longer has copyright (content created before 1912)
• When we create something new we are automatically protected under copyright laws so what we create is OURS whether we display the copyright logo or not. Anyone else using your content or images MUST ask for your permission or only use 10% under fair dealing then they must declare they are using the Fair Dealing Clause (Leaver, 2012).

Reflection:

Many questions are left unanswered this week:

1. Is copyright a tool or corporate control rather than one which encourages creativity
2. If we are not paying or a service (Facebook) we are the product! So how can Facebook pay $1B for Instagram when Instagram made no money? How can you put a price on something like Instagram which is a free app?
3. Why don't authors have to show the copyright logo but people who use content in Fair Dealing have to declare they are using the Fair Dealing clause?

Reference:
Leaver, T. (2012) ... Topic 2.0: Copyright [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=794620&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated