Dave D’Addozio
10 Myths about Copyright/Bellingham
The article “10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained” offered some interesting and surprising insights. One item that was mentioned that truly surprised me was that of linking. It never occurred to me that this was even close to copyright violation. The author, Brad Templeton, made a valid point by including the idea that advertising attached to the page could create a situation that violates copyright law. Ultimately, I agree with Templeton’s position that linking should not be considered copyright violation and that linking is one of the best features of the web.
Another interesting point mentioned by Templeton was that of fair use. I never realized that parody and criticism was considered fair use and that permission to use material for this purpose is not against copyright law. I guess that’s how Weird Al has made a living all these years. I always assumed he needed to get permission from the original artist to parody their song. The subjective nature of the fair use policy could create nerve racking situations for people being sued for copyright infringement.
The Bellingham School District Copyright Policy is very thorough and specific. There are many instances where copyright infringement can come into play in an educational setting. We are always preparing lessons and gathering resources in order to create the most engaging lessons, and in the process we often refer to other peoples’ works. We certainly need to keep copyright laws in mind when preparing all lessons, especially those done using technology.