What is copyright law?
Answer
Copyright laws were passed to help prevent original work from being stolen or copied. This includes both print and multimedia. Permission must be granted by the author or publisher to use or reproduce copyrighted materials. If someone doesn't ask for or is not given permission to use or reproduce original work, that person can be sued in court for damages. Materials produced before 1923 are not under copyright and can be used without approval. They are in what is called "the public domain."
The Fair Use Doctrine allows for a limited amount of a copyrighted work to be recreated without obtaining permission. Four factors have to be considered in total before fair use can be applied:
- The purpose for reproduction. Will money be made from it or is it for nonprofit, educational use?
- The nature of the work. Is it factual information or a work of fiction? Fair use is easier to justify if the creation is not a play or novel.
- The portion that is being reproduced as it relates to the whole. You can't photocopy an entire book, but a few pages is permissible.
- The effect that a reproduction will have on the market value of the original. You can't burn DVD copies of a video game and sell them. That would potentially reduce profits that could be earned off the original.
How do copyright laws affect photocopying? Generally, you won't violate copyright law if you make one copy of a chapter of a book, an article, photograph, diagram, etc., if it is for individual study and research.