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Technology Tip Number 170 Copyright and the Internet A copyright is literally the right to make copies, and there is a long history to copyright going back to the development of printing presses in Europe. In US Law the concept of protecting artists, authors and/or inventors exclusive right to benefit from their work comes directly from Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution: "The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries" The specific details of how the government protects an individual's copyrights are enumerated in Title 17 of the United States Code. As you can image the development of the internet has made enforcing copyright laws in the United States, as well as throughout the world, a bit more challenging. The ease with which a person can make digital copies of items from the internet without any regard for national boundaries or consent from the author has made enforcing these laws almost impossible.
Rather than trying to explain copyright laws any further we'd simply like to recommend some websites for further study. The purpose of this technology tip was simply to remind you of the ongoing controversy of protecting copyrights in the digital age. You are encouraged to research for more details that are relevant to you using these links:
The United States Copyright Office
Copyright With Cyberbee
Copyrightkids.org
10 Big Myths
about Copyright Explained
International Copyright Resources
PRACTICE ACTIVITY: Check out one of the links above when you get a chance and reflect a little on what exactly the copyright laws mean to you.
Copyright and the Internet Have a nice day!
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Here's
an example. Do you like my picture on the right? Go ahead,
right click on it, choose copy from the menu that appears. Then
paste it into a Word Document. Now save it to your computer and print a copy for yourself. Did you just make, not just one, but two
illegal copies of my original copyright protected art work? You
saved a copy to your computer and then you printed a copy. Two
illegal copies right? Well, technically yes, but here's something to
consider: Have I actually been damaged by the copies you just
made? Or even more specifically, could I prove in court that you
just damaged me commercially by making copies of my little picture?
And what if you're in Thailand or Guatemala or Australia right now?
How do I go about protecting my copyrights in your country? This
can get real tricky, real fast.
