Week 1 Reading: Copyright issues.
The videos were very informative. One of the things Full Sail stressed from the very beginning was to avoid using copyrighted work illegally. We were strongly encouraged to create our own music and visuals when possible. By now (month 11) we all have tons of original work that we have created. It will be interesting to learn how to go about copyrighting it if we so choose. I did not realize that the list for things that cannot be covered by copyright would be so short. Nor did I realize that a dance was something that could be covered. As an ESL teacher, I have taught the 'Chicken Dance' and the 'Electric Slide' to my students. As I was looking for a video with music for the 'Electric Slide', I came across articles about a man (I don't remember his name) who was claiming to have created this dance and suing others for using it without his permission. I thought it was silly, but apparently he may actually have a case. As teachers, we use so many things and so many sources to create classes that are 'edutainment'. For that reason, we have to be especially careful of copyright issues.
3 comments:
Jazmin, I was also very surprised by the tiny list of items that were not copyrightable in the U.S. but also by the ‘top 10’ myths. Some of them have even come up in various Wimba’s for classes we’ve shared over the last 11 months but EMDT students. One interesting note from your post is you mention that we’ve been encouraged to create original work here at Full Sail, a fact that has certainly been hammered into us frequently. The interesting aspect I found after our readings/videos that I felt the Brazilians are also doing ‘original’ work, albeit with others work as a base to build from. Like some of our classmates, I’m certainly not encouraging anyone to go out and grab others work – but I think this issue is one that is crystallizing into something that will require the industry itself to shift models for, and soon.
Jazmin, it is amazing what is covered under the copyright laws. I too appreciate Full Sail teaching us to creative our own original work. It makes it much easier to creative projects with out worrying if there are any laws being violated.
I enjoyed the videos, especial the Documentary! The fact that Nigeria takes its videos directly to the public and offers the price you might pay for a "bootleg" copy is a great way to avoid copy right issues.
I know that might be hard, but I do understand that it is yet their way of making the expression of creativity for for them.
So the challenge for those of us in the U.S. faced with the copyright laws, is to either creative our own or use resources like creative commons to make something work for us.
Great example of something that looks silly but turns out to be true, the electric slide lawsuit. it is important to be informed. And where things clearly don't fit common usage or usage for the common good, than we should be among those working for positive change.
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