Wk 1 - Copyright

photo taken by Alicia Welch

In watching the videos on Copyright and Fair Use, I believe that I am even more confused than before. It's like being afraid of something that you can't see. You know it's there, somewhere. And, most of all, you have to walk very carefully.

I have to admit that concerns about copyright have been one of my biggest challenges throughout EMDT. When we all began the program, about 10 months ago, it was stressed to us that plagiarism unacceptable - something I am sure we all already knew. However, as we continued, we began to utilize material in our projects and performances. This materials was often found on the web. This is the material that I have shied away from. Even though a source is referenced, I was concerned about how the copyright laws could effect me. Several times I did not use something, like a piece of music or photo, because I was concerned about where it would fit into the context of the copyright laws.

In watching these videos, I can see how copyright could protect me as well as the original creator of the work. There are also many grey areas. Areas that copyright could be pushed too far. It was stated that ' a small bit' could be used in specific circumstances? That leads to the question, how small is a small piece. What if I use too much? What then? As you can probably tell, I am somewhat of a black/white person. I have to admit that I am uncomfortable with these broad definitions.