Image by Jacklau96
Everyone has ideas. While some ideas are new and different, many ideas are based off of someone else’s. If you plan on copying, distributing, performing, or remixing a previously published idea, you need to be careful of copyright laws.
If you are unfamiliar with copyright, check out this video.
Just because something is copyrighted does not mean you cannot use it in your own work. You can either get permission and cite to use someone else’s work, like Taylor Swift did with the writers of “I’m Too Sexy” in her new song “Look What You Made Me Do”, you can wait 70 year’s after the author’s death, you can find another piece of work to use from before 1923, or you can use that work under the terms of Fair Use.
Something is considered fair use if: the original work was not considered creative, the people or company that hold the copyright are not affected, it is for educational purposes, your work does not use the main point of the the copyrighted work, or if you do not have intent and ability to make money.
While it is perfectly legal for me to learn and play Taylor Swift’s new song at a place like Guitar Center, if i begin to upload a recording of me playing this piece of work to YouTube and monetize my video, I am no longer protected by fair use.
I like your post and agree with your facts. My question for you is more do you agree with how the system is set up. If you play the song in the Guitar Center you are using that music to create the ambiance so that you can sell more. Also do you think that 70 years is the right amount of time to keep the copyright on something or do you think it should be longer?
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I agree that it is hard to be original in today's world where everyone is trying to come up with the next big thing. Copyright can become a tricky issue to navigate in some cases, such as when artists remix songs, or create a mashup of other concepts into one piece of work. Fair use is fantastic for getting around copyright, but of course you can't make money off of content created in this manner. This is why it is sometimes best to ask the author themselves if it is ok to use their content, rather than risk being sued for posting it.
ReplyDeleteI always love reading about Taylor Swift, it's a great time. To me, I literally hate the fact that copyright takes so long to be over. Someone from 1923 can have the same ideas as someone from 1978 without the newer one 'copying' the older one. They may not have even heard it. Copyright on intellectual ideas is way too strict, I think. I really like the facts that you presented, and I think fair use is one of the good ways to get around copyright!
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