Legal+Issues

Legal issues are one of the most important things to understand. Some examples are seen in the chart above. However, I will focus on Copyright laws, Fair Use and Creative Commons.
 * Use Policy || Internet Privacy || Copyright ||
 * Fair Use || Creative Common ||  ||

Copyright and Fair Use

 * Copyright is defined as “a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software and architecture” (The Library of Congress)
 * There are 4 factors that determine fair use. Fair Use “limits the copyright holder’s rights in order to promote free speech and learning” (Forness). The Four Factors are:
 * “The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
 * The nature of the copyrighted work
 * The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
 * The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work (Forness).
 * Procedure for securing copyright – In order to file a claim to copyright your work, you have to fill out paper work and forms. These registration forms cover literary, visual arts, performing arts, sound recordings, and single serials. Once completing the form that addresses that specific need and submitting, there is a processing time that has to be addressed. (The Library of Congress)

Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a resource that teachers can use to explore and build upon the work of someone else and or share their own creativity with others without having millions of people come directly to you for permission because of copyright laws.
 * Guidelines: must use tools available such as copyright licenses to be able to “create a balance inside the traditional ‘all rights reserved’ setting that copyright law creates” (Creative Commons)
 * Examples for finding and using material:
 * Access to course material
 * Encourage readers to re-blog with giving credit
 * Resources for teachers such as curriculum, lesson plans, course, textbooks, etc.

Teachers must do things to combat the issue by following the legal guidelines for Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. Some practical tips for teachers are:
 * 1) Make sure you find copyright rights and information immediately after finding pertinent information to the classroom.
 * 2) Realize that only specific sites, such as Creative Commons, are resources that you do not have to contact the person you are getting information from to get permission. However, you still must site all sources!!
 * 3) Understand fair use and how it affects the holder’ rights.
 * 4) Know the process of copyrighting your own material.
 * 5) Understand Internet policies and rights. Know that sites can and will contact you for using information misleadingly as your own.