Copyright affects your life just about everyday, whether you know it or not. If you have ever downloaded songs off the Internet; or if you've ever used a newspaper photo on your own personal website, you have used copyrighted material- perhaps even illegally. Remember Napster? Napster was sued by the music industry, which claimed that peer-to-peer file sharing infringed on its copyright.
The definition of Copyright is the exclusive legal right granted to a writer, editor, composer, publisher, or distributor to publish, produce, sell, or distribute an artistic work. Copyright law has expanded dramatically in the past two decades, giving copyright owners (usually corporations) more and more power over how cultural works may be used.How do you think copyright should be enforced in the following situations? (Don't be concerned with how it actually is enforced at this point.)
Be sure to consider this issue from at least two perspectives:a) What is best for the copyright owner(s)?b) What is best for the public at large?Choose two of the four situations to discuss in your response. Include a minimum of one paragraph for each topic using full sentences. Please check your spelling and grammar before publishing your material. Include your first and last name, period, and date.
1. A rap group would like to sample bits from TV shows, movies, songs, or other copyrighted material. should it be required to get permission from the copyright holder? ( Asking permission requires finding the copyright owner, writing a letter, and usually paying a fee.) What factors influence your decision?
2. Should a school teacher be allowed to photocopy pages from a book for use in class without asking permission from the publisher? (Again, asking permission requires locating the publisher, writing a letter and usually paying a fee.) Why or why not?
3. Should you allowed to make a t-shirt with Star Wars characters fro yourself and a few friends? Should you be allowed to sell the t-shirts? What do you think George Lucas would have to say about that? Would he be right or wrong? Why?
4. If you shoot a video with your friends, should you be allowed to use a popular (copyrighted) song in the background? What about if you plan to sell the video? what about if you hold a public screening at school, but not for money? What if you're just showing it to your friends?
Please sign your first and last name, your class period and, the date that you make your post on each entry. You will need to include two paragraphs in your entry - this means complete sentences and check your spelling. Blogs will run from Thursday to Thursday with the closing of the previous blog occurring at the start of class on Thursday.
