Web Content and Copyright Laws

The Web is NOT Public Domain

Greetings from the ipl2’s weekly blog where we try to keep you informed of interesting current events in the news.  Undoubtedly, you have heard about the controversy raging through the Internet regarding the erroneous and somewhat arrogant response received by a blogger in response to the “lifted” article off her blog. Rather than go off on a tangent about the story, you can read it by clicking the below link.

New resources that will be added to the ipl2 are noted NEW! All other resources are already listed in the ipl2 collections.

NEW! NPR:  The Day the Internet Throw a Hissyfit About Copyright And Pie

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/11/05/131091599/the-day-the-internet-threw-a-righteous-hissyfit-about-copyright-and-pie

The most important take away from this situation is not the arrogance of the editor’s response, but the ignorance of the laws governing the content that is available online.  Below are some links to copyright information that may be helpful in learning about copyright law.  The ipl2 provides these links to our readers as an informational service that should not be taken as legal advice.  When in doubt, consult an attorney who would be able to advise on copyright law.

Cornell University’s Copyright Information Center

http://copyright.cornell.edu/

From the website:  “This site offers information on copyright policy, copyright clearance services, and copyright training and tutorials.”  It has a list of Frequently Asked Questions that covers such issues as “How do I find out if a work is in the public domain?” and “We’re an educational institution, so aren’t all uses fair use?”

Stanford University’s Copyright & Fair Use

http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

Includes information on the public domain, fair use, website permissions, academic and educational permissions, releases, and copyright research.

Creative Commons

http://creativecommons.org/choose/

This site explains how to keep your copyright while allowing people to distribute it with attribution.

NEW! Makeuseof.com’s article “Plagiarism Checkers:  5 Free Websites to Catch the Copycats”

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/article-checkers-5-free-websites-to-catch-the-copycats/

Five sites that offer ways to monitor who is using your content and how.

Thank you for checking in.  The teams at the ipl2 hope you find this information helpful in better understanding our global community’s challenges and triumphs.