Inside Higher Ed has an interesting article today, called “Myths about Fair Use“. It does a great job of breaking down the myths in an easy-to-understand way.
If you have ever wondered whether an image or text is copyrighted or in the public domain, this chart from Cornell University is a great reference (and it was updated in January, 2010). Copyright is never easy to figure out, but at least this has all the rules and exceptions in one place.
Over 11,000 visual artists, authors, filmmakers, architects and other artists who are part of the Copyright Alliance have signed a letter sent to the Obama administration asking for stronger copyright policy and support. Read more about the movement at the Copyright Alliance. And you can read the full text of the letter here, which highlights…
The National Portrait Gallery in London is accusing a Wikipedia volunteer of downloading over 3000 high-resolution images onto the free online encyclopedia’s Wikimedia Commons. The NPG asserts that this denies revenue for the museum and is threatening legal action. Wikipedia counters that the museum is “betraying its public service mission.” via BBC News and Wikinews
The Copyright Clearance Center has loads of information to help with copyright questions, including this 6-minute video that breaks down the basics. The Copyright Alliance is another organization with a very helpful website, including a section specifically for Educators.
Ever wonder if that manuscript, book, image, etc. is protected under U.S. copyright laws? The American Library Association has come up with a fantastic tool to help answer that question: http://librarycopyright.net/digitalslider/. It lets users scroll through numerous copyright terms for works published or created during different time periods and under various conditions.