by LINDA PUNTNEY
COPY RIGHT AND COPY WRONG
Pam Tripp, a Herff Jones representative from northern Virginia, deals with the copyright issue every year. “New advisers often don’t know copyright law so they can’t explain it to their students,” Tripp said. “I spend time every year educating students and advisers and helping them understand that just because WITH EASY ACCESS TO SO MANY RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET, they can download an image from IT’S NO WONDER A STUDY REPORTED IN THE WASHINGTON POST the internet to use in their book, doesn’t mean they should.” SHOWED TEENAGERS SPEND AN AVERAGE OF 7.5 HOURS A DAY The easiest way for a staff to CONSUMING NEW MEDIA, PERUSING CONTENT, PLAYING GAMES avoid copyright violations is to simply use only those materials they AND, SADLY, ACQUIRING IMAGES FOR USE IN THEIR PUBLICATIONS. create themselves. For instance, use photographs of students wearing Year. “I think it started with music I say “acquiring” rather than Taylor Swift T-shirts rather than downloading. Now, students often “stealing” because the familiarity pulling a Taylor Swift image from we have with cyberspace gives us a feel if the material is out there, it’s the internet. free for the taking.” feeling of ownership. Staffs could also purchase The improper use of personal “It’s my internet and by extension, images from sources like Getty images is challenging too. my content,” we might think. “It’s Images, or get “Students there for me to access anytime I written permission want and freely use anything I want.” may think it’s THE EASIEST WAY from the owner OK to use an But stealing is stealing and using someone’s photos, MP3s or graphics image taken FOR A STAFF TO AVOID of the material. A line should from Facebook without express permission is just COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS credit accompany the or Instagram that — stealing — because we’ve taken their intellectual property and because they IS TO SIMPLY USE ONLY image with “Used written know the that’s the most valuable kind of THOSE MATERIALS THEY with permission from…” person pictured, property of all. Getting permission “I spend considerable time talking but getting CREATE THEMSELVES. can take time, so with students about what materials permission staffs should plan is just as can be used and what can’t,” said ahead to ensure permission is important as getting permission Brenda Gorsuch, West Henderson received before the images (NC) High School adviser and 2013 to use a professional publication are submitted. image,” Gorsuch said. National Yearbook Adviser of the
THREE COPYRIGHT MYTHS CLARIFIED BY THE STUDENT PRESS LAW CENTER
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MYTH: LOGOS, MOVIE POSTERS AND CD COVERS MYTH: USING ONLY 10% OF AN ARTICLE OR
MYTH: GIVING CREDIT TO THE PERSON
CAN NEVER BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION.
10 SECONDS OF A SONG IS ACCEPTABLE.
CREATING THE COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
Those items can be used with a news
There is no numerical definition for
MAKES USING SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK OK.
or feature story on a company/industry.
safe use. This “guideline” is completely
Attributing credit is not a legal defense.
But you cannot use most logos without
imaginery. If you use any copy, lyrics or
Copyright focuses on the creator
permission, such as using a popular logo
music without permission, you are in
providing explicit consent for use of the
in your theme development.
violation of the work’s copyright.
work, not receiving credit for it.
VOLUME TWENTY ISSUE ONE