BackgroundIt is important to understand that obtaining images, sounds or music from the Internet is problematic because those are copyrighted even if it is not stated. Copyright governs the intellectual rights of the author, artist, photographer or song writer while outlining the rights of the user.
In Canada law is not defined by the political guidelines but by decisions of the courts. Unfortunately there are many areas of copyright that have not been articulated through court cases. Disclaimer - this page is not intended to be the law - in Canada copyright law is defined by the courts. Here is a link to a Canadian Perspective on copyright:
principlesThe principles that should govern use of copyrighted material is a balance between two concepts, honoring authorship and fair use:
Honoring Authorship The first principle is honoring the intellectual rights of the author, artist, photographer, or videographer. The creator has spent considerable time on their work so to use it without recompense and or attribution is a form of plagiarism or thievery.
Fair Use The other concept is the issue of "fair use". This suggests that there are ways of using people's work while still adhering to the first principle. There are several ways that we as teachers can encourage copyright compliance. One is to discuss it with our students. Another approach is to model it for our students by ensuring that where appropriate permission has been obtained and New Media items are cited and referenced in our work (and in our students’ work).
AttributionAttribution is providing reference to the source/author/artist/photographer; giving credit where credit is due. The necessity of citing sources is probably a function of how a New Media element will be used. For instance, to informally share an image with students or classmates without reference to a source, is probably fine. However, if that New Media element becomes incorporated into a formal report or presentation, then the source should be cited. This becomes more important if it appears on the Internet, then it should be referenced. That goes a long way to conforming to “fair use” and at the same time honoring intellectual rights. Every image, sound, or music used in projects should be described in terms of where it came from, if it was modified, or if it was original work (even if you created it). Creating the elements gives the creator the rights to share those (assuming those don’t violate FOIP) but authorship should be attributed regardless, so that authorship is clear.
Often pictures from a photo web site have a photo credit. This information should be used in a citation under the element in the presentation or web site. For instance, photos used from the Internet that have a creative commons designation often require attribution to the photographer or artist. On some sites this information is difficult to find - hence the need to seek permission. At the very least one can reference the name of the web site and the link. Imbedding Videos Including videos from video service providers is a bit of a different issue. Depending on context, one doesn't need the formal referencing system because those are automatically linked back to the source through links in the video. For instance, see the imbedded videos in this resource. Formatting Check out conventions for formatting your references and citations below:
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PurposesCopyright protects the intellectual rights of the author/artist and gives limited rights to the user in terms of "fair use".
The following video has a U.S. bias but they still raise useful questions.
Creative CommonsCreative Commons is an Internet based set of conventions for designating usage rights to images or audio compositions. It specifies how or if you can use an image or music. Unfortunately, not all elements will be so designated. If New Media elements are not designated you should seek permission from the author to use those.
Finding New Media elementsIt is important that when a person searches for New Media elements to be used in presentations or web publications, that an advanced search is used that specifies for public reuse.
Google Search: Google has a “usage rights” section in their advanced search (image search). It is useful to select the “labeled for reuse” option. Google Image Search: It is possible to do a Google search for elements that have specific usage rights specified (e.g. free to use but give credit to the artist). Steps:
Creative Commons Search:
Copyright for Educators
Further StudyThe designer is responsible for ensuring that all materials they share are in compliance with the the Copyright Act. The viewer or user of digital content should also be compliant with copyright laws. Here is the latest information from the government of Canada:
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References
Schlock, K. (2015). Finding copyright-friendly photos for the Google Images generation. eSchool News, January 6th. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/01/06/copyright-images-192/?