Copyright and Fair Use Questions.

Copyright Law Often Made Up as We Go Along. "Copyright law allows for what's called "fair use" of copyrighted material without payment or even consent of the creator. You can, for instance, quote freely from this column in your holiday newsletter without fear that the Tribune will ask the courts to seize rights fees from your wages.

You can make copies of it for a class of students and read extended passages on the radio, all without asking. You can lift portions for parody purposes. You can include it in your personal 'Most Wonderful Columns of All Time' collection and lend it to grateful friends.

But where's the line?"

Eric Zorn's survey is indeed thought-provoking, so I'd suggest going through the questions on your own.

[The Shifted Librarian]

I get asked so often if it's "ok" to use huge chunks of other people's work in an e-Learning app or in an article "if they are given credit for it." I'm glad to see other people apparently get asked the same question. (Hint: if you ask me, as an editor, the answer is always going to be "No" and if you ask me as an e-Learning consultant, the answer is still always going to be "No." The only exception is if you've got permission in writing and possibly a cancelled check in hand to prove that you paid for the privilege. It's business, folks, not Miss Burns' seventh-grade social studies class.)

1:32:33 PM