Copyright Overview
What is a Copyright?
History
Can't Be Copyrighted
1. Ideas, Methods, or Systems
2. Commonly Known Information (calenders,rulers)
3. Choreographic Works (speeches)
4. Names, Titles, Short Phrases, or Expressions
.5. Fashion (clothes)
Process of Getting a Copyright
Poor Man's Copyright
How Long Does a Copyright Last?
Who Can Claim a Copyright?
While working for a company the employee does not own the copyright, the employer would be considered the author. For example if you work at a record producing studio and you write a song for the company, you do own the copyright for the song, the company does. You might extra perks for writing it but you do not own it. The only way you could both own the copyright is if both sides agreed to signing a written document that it is ok for both parties to be co-owners of the copyright. All works that are unpublished, regardless of the nationality of the author, are protected in the United States. Works that are first published in the United States or in a country with which we have a copyright treaty is also protected.
What Rights Do Copyright Owners Have?
- reproduction right -- the right to make copies of a protected work
- distribution right -- the right to sell or otherwise distribute copies to the public
- right to create adaptations (called derivative works) -- the right to prepare new works based on the protected work, and
- performance and display rights -- the rights to perform a protected work (such as a stageplay) or to display a work in public.
Public Domain
Infringement Of Copyrights
Copyright Infringement (Violation) —When a person or people use copyrighted material without permission or the right of ownership.
In most cases of Copyright Infringement nothing happens until the owner files a complaint.
Criminal penalties might include jail time, an order to perform community service, probation, loss of property and the risk of lost work or educational privileges.
Ways to violate copyrighted items
· copying a CD or video for a friend or making a photocopy of a textbook
(make these examples.)
Illegal downloading of software, movies and music is extremely common, and these illegal downloads have historically been heavily penalized (more examples