Manny posted:
After viewing the slew of videos from this week’s assignment, I feel overwhelmed. Copyright, Fair use, Creative Commons, all these policies and regulations are seemingly endless in the discussion on the protection or use of someone’s idea or concept. I understand that a person who originates their ideas and concepts needs them to be protected from users passing them off as their ideas and that the originators be compensated or at least credited when used. But I also believe that an end user should have access to these works to be informed and inspired and be able to use these ideas for their work as well. But the areas are so gray and overlap into each other. Now throw in the myths and misconceptions, like in the Templeton video, and you have a hodgepodge of misinformation that increases the likelihood of actually infringing on another persons copyright and not even knowing that you did.
In the end it is about educating oneself on the issue of copyrights and asking the right questions. The Mayer & Bettle video that explains Creative Commons is helpful. The comic strips on the Creative Commons website are amusing and insightful (Miranda and her coffee table book) on the explanation of the 4 options in Creative Commons licenses. I also enjoyed the video collage of Disney animations to show Fair use in its purest form. Educating oneself on the above concepts are the keys to avoiding any legal problems when it comes to using any portions of someone’s else idea, concept or work.
Manny,
I understand how this can make you feel overwhelmed it is a lot of information to digest in a short amount of time. I think from reading your post that you actually grasped an understanding on as much of it as you could. Copyright and fair use is a very gray area and a fine line of being right or wrong, but as you said you have to make the right judgment in the end.
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