Ch.8.4 Helpdesk: Understanding Intellectual Property and Copyright

How long does copyright last.

The life of the creator plus 70 years.

Which of the following is true about works in the public domain?

Some works enter the public domain because their creator is unknown. Some works enter the public domain when their copyright term expires. Works in the public domain are free to be used by anyone.

Using copyrighted material without the copyright holder's permission is known as copyright __________.

infringement

What type of property is intellectual property?

intangible

Copyright Holder Rights

Copyright holders own rights that grant them the ability to exclusively: - Reproduce the work - Prepare derivative works based on the original work (such as a sequel to a book featuring the same characters). - Distributing the work to the public (either selling it or giving it away) - Public performance of the work (such as music or a play) - Public display of the work (posting photos on the Internet)

Intellectual Property Basics

Intellectual property is the product of a person's mind and is usually considered an expression of human creativity. Examples would be books, poems, photographs, and music. Intellectual property is comprised of five broad categories: Copyright, patents, trademarks, service marks, and trade dress. Most intellectual property you create (such as photographs) will fall into the category of copyright. A copyright is designed to help you protect your intellectual property.

Types of Property

Real property is considered immovable, such as land or a home. Real property is also called real estate. Personal property is other stuff that you own. It comes in two types - tangible and intangible. - Tangible property - has substance (you can touch it) like a car or a smartphone. - Intangible property - cannot be touched, but still has value...like your ideas! Intellectual property is usually considered intangible property.

Which of the following is not a right granted to copyright holders?

Reduction of a work

Copyright Infringement

Using copyrighted material without the owner's permission is known as copyright infringement. Penalties for infringement can be severe such as large fines or imprisonment. Sometimes when copyrighted material is published, the copyright holder specifies guidelines under which the copyrighted material may be used without seeking permission. Alternative copyright schemes, known as Copyleft, exist to allow copyright holders to grant rights to all users of their material without seeking permission. Creative Commons licenses are an example of Copyleft. If there are no copyright notice or usage guidelines published with a work, the safest course of action is to assume you need permission of the copyright holder before using the work.

Public Domain

Works without copyright protection are considered to be in the public domain. Works in the public domain are considered public property and therefore, anyone can modify, distribute, copy, or sell them for profit. Some works that were created never had a copyright holder. Examples are traditional folk songs or stories, the origins of which are unknown and can't be attributed to a specific individual. Copyrighted works can lose their copyright protection after their term of protection expires. It can be difficult to determine when works enter the public domain. Therefore, you should probably consider a work to be in the public domain only if there is provable, objective evidence that it's in the public domain or it's clearly identified as being in the public domain.