Copyright and YOU
...and you and you and, well, everybody, really.
Copyright is something that we don't actively think about all that much unless we are employed in an industry that makes its gravy from it. You hear a song on the radio, you watch a movie on Netflix (or Crave, if you're a contrarian), you buy a book featuring reproductions of famous pieces of modern art (this post assumes you are cultured as heck), and you don't know or particularly care to know about the legal and financial wrangling that led to you being able to listen, watch, or buy.
It doesn't add much to your enjoyment of music, art, whatever if you know all that, and there is a reason that legal dramas are never about copyright lawyers. The internet has increased this apathy, since you can pretty much find any cultural product ever made with a Google search, wether or not the person who created it is getting any coin from it being in the Tubes.
As teachers, we can't really be apathetic about this, because our profession clings for dear life to the photocopier, and school divisions and copyright holders keep an eagle eye on what and how much protected material goes through that lifesaving machine.
Mr. Finch's presentation on exactly where the boundaries are for teachers in terms of using copyrighted material was helpful, in that it was clear, practical, and thought provoking, even if some of those thoughts were grumbling about having to follow laws that benefit, to an overwhelming degree, huge media conglomerates.
Speaking of, he mentioned the public domain a few times, which has been steadily eroded over the years as said conglomerates lobby governments to extend copyrights well beyond what most people, even creative people, would consider reasonable. Despite being created almost a century ago, Mickey Mouse will likely never enter the public domain, since even though ol' Walt has been pushing daisies for 50 years, the company that bears his name (and owns a significant portion of pop culture) will likely keep lobbying to keep all it's copyrights locked down until the Sun burns out.
This all reminds me of a video I saw ages and ages ago that discusses copyrights, creator rights, sampling, and the public domain. I have posted this video below.
What do YOU think about all this?
Copyright is something that we don't actively think about all that much unless we are employed in an industry that makes its gravy from it. You hear a song on the radio, you watch a movie on Netflix (or Crave, if you're a contrarian), you buy a book featuring reproductions of famous pieces of modern art (this post assumes you are cultured as heck), and you don't know or particularly care to know about the legal and financial wrangling that led to you being able to listen, watch, or buy.
It doesn't add much to your enjoyment of music, art, whatever if you know all that, and there is a reason that legal dramas are never about copyright lawyers. The internet has increased this apathy, since you can pretty much find any cultural product ever made with a Google search, wether or not the person who created it is getting any coin from it being in the Tubes.
As teachers, we can't really be apathetic about this, because our profession clings for dear life to the photocopier, and school divisions and copyright holders keep an eagle eye on what and how much protected material goes through that lifesaving machine.
Mr. Finch's presentation on exactly where the boundaries are for teachers in terms of using copyrighted material was helpful, in that it was clear, practical, and thought provoking, even if some of those thoughts were grumbling about having to follow laws that benefit, to an overwhelming degree, huge media conglomerates.
Speaking of, he mentioned the public domain a few times, which has been steadily eroded over the years as said conglomerates lobby governments to extend copyrights well beyond what most people, even creative people, would consider reasonable. Despite being created almost a century ago, Mickey Mouse will likely never enter the public domain, since even though ol' Walt has been pushing daisies for 50 years, the company that bears his name (and owns a significant portion of pop culture) will likely keep lobbying to keep all it's copyrights locked down until the Sun burns out.
This all reminds me of a video I saw ages and ages ago that discusses copyrights, creator rights, sampling, and the public domain. I have posted this video below.
What do YOU think about all this?
I found it interesting that you mentioned an iconic character such as Mickey Mouse and how the character will most likely never be entered as public domain, if it's the case for an iconic character then why not for certain songs or movies, or other copyrighted items. Does it have to be something super iconic for it not to be released into public domain after 50 years of the creators death. I also liked the visual use of a video, sweet post buddy.
ReplyDelete