When you create a sculpture for art, is it copyrighted? What about a poster you make on the computer for technology class? The dance you created in PE? Do you have to file for copyright protection?
If you create something and copyright it, in what year will the copyright expire, assuming you live to be 75 years old?
What rule gives a special allowance to teachers and students? Explain the four guidelines.
Based on what you have now read and learned, have you ever broken copyright laws? If so, how?
The yearbook committee has decided to create a multimedia yearbook for all students. However, they know that there are laws regarding copyright out there, and they have some questions about what can and cannot be included. They decided to break into groups to tackle this issue and figure out all the facts before they start putting the yearbook together.
You need to find out what is allowable for students to use according to copyright laws. Since Fair Use allows students some special allowances, you need to consult those four main guidelines and the chart to determine whether or not you can include certain items in the yearbook-and if you can, what the restrictions are. Here is a second chart for students.
PROCESS:
1. Each group will be assigned a topic, which already has some questions developed for you to guide your research. Each individual in the group will look for all these answers on his/her own. As you search for these answers, you should also take notes.
2. Groups will meet to go over their findings. If there are questions that you answered differently, you as a group will have to decide what the correct answer is.
3. Groups will prepare a Keynote to present to the class. Each presentation should have a title slide with all group members' names, a slide with each question given followed by a slide with the answer and explanation, and a works cited slide with all research sources and pictures cited.
4. Groups will write one letter asking for permission to use one item in the yearbook. Go to http://www.copyrightkids.org/yearbookframes.htm and select Getting Permission from the drop-down menu for a template.
Facts to Consider
1. The yearbook is not being posted online or sold.
2. Creating the yearbook is a graded part of a required class.
GROUPS:
The Laws 1. Find a simple and easy to understand definition of the word Copyright. 2. Find a simple and easy to understand definition of the term Fair Use. 3. Find a simple and easy to understand definition of the term Public Domain. 4. What are the penalties of breaking copyright law? Be sure to cite where this information is coming from. 5. Find 3 instances/news stories of someone breaking copyright law. Explain what happened and what was the outcome of the lawsuit. Don't copy and paste the whole story, just sum up the story for us.
Music 1. For background music of a picture slideshow, can you use a song that you downloaded from Limewire for free? Can you use a song that you paid for from iTunes? Explain.
2. You surveyed BHS students and found out their favorite songs of the year. Can you include a list of top five songs in the yearbook? Can you add the music? Why or why not?
3. You have an audio clip of a song the band played. The adviser legally acquired the rights to perform the song. Can you include it? Explain.
Videotape/DVD 1. The BHS dance team performed to a song at state. The dance coach legally acquired the rights to the song. One of the girl's parents videotaped it. Can we use it?
2. You videotaped the talent show. You want to include some of the performances. Can you?
3. We had a really cool music group perform at an assembly. Afterwards, we bought a copy of the DVD. Can we include this? Explain.
Characters/Comics 1. You surveyed BHS students and found their favorite cartoon characters. Can you include a list of their names? Can you include clips of shows containing the top 3 characters? Explain.
2. One especially creative BHS student writes comic strips. Can you include these? Why or why not?
3. Some students who love The Simpsons found the script to an episode and acted it out. They asked if they could be included. Can you add this? Why?
4. You found images online of many of BHS's favorite comic characters. Can you include them? Explain.
Film and TV 1. With YouTube being so popular, you surveyed BHS students to find out their favorite videos. Let's pretend they are all school appropriate. Can you include a list of them? Can you include the YouTube videos? Explain.
2. Can you include a list of the top movies and TV shows of the year? Why or why not? Can you include part of a TV episode?
3. There was a natural disaster and you want to include information on how these disasters occur. You find a United Streaming clip that you want to include. What is United Streaming? Can you use it? Why?
4. You surveyed BHS students and found out their favorite movie of the year. Can you include a portion of the movie? What are the guidelines to this?
Print: Literature, Magazines, Newspapers 1. Each year Mrs. Lefebvre has students write a script for a portion of a novel that groups read and perform in class. One novel is Romeo and Juliet and the other is Speak. Can you include these? Why or why not?
2. You asked Mrs. Lorentz for a list of the most-checked-out books of the year. Can you include a list of them?
3. The whole school read Speak. Can you scan the book and include it? Explain.
4. You want to scan the front page of the Sherburne County Citizen for some of the year's big news stories. Is this okay?
Photography and Art 1. For Miss Svaren's art class, you were to create a sculpture of a face. One student chose Shrek's. You want to take a picture of this and include it in the yearbook. Can you?
2. You asked BHS students to contribute pictures that they took of friends at dances, sporting events, etc. Can you include these?
3. A photographer from the Sherburne County Citizen took pictures at the cross country meet and included one in the newspaper. Can you scan this picture and use it? Explain.
4. At the dance, a professional photographer came and took pictures of couples and groups. You want to scan these pictures and include them. Can you?
EXTRA ASSIGNMENT!!! Find a situation where you would, under copyright law, need to gain permission to use a work for something school related (including extra curriculars). Write a letter to the appropriate person/company/clearinghouse. Include a written explanation, detailing:
Why permission is needed
How you found to whom to address the letter (cite sources)