Copyright is the legal
right granted to an author, a composer, a playwright, a publisher or a distributor
to exclusive publication, production, sale, or a distribution of a literary,
musical, dramatic, or artistic work. There
are a lot of misconceptions on copyright laws and what they entail. For example, the article states, “people
routinely get away with illegal copying in the classroom for the same reason
that people get away with speeding on the interstate.” Teachers and educators can’t be ignorant when
it comes to this matter, especially with the large amounts of material being
used in the classrooms. Those who believe
they are abiding by the copyright laws usually settle for fair use, which in
turn only allows permission to use copyrighted material if it is not diverting
income from the creator. Educators and or
teachers must consider four factors: the purpose and character of yourself, the
nature of the copyrighted work, the amount or portion us, and the value of the
copyrighted work. To avoid the misuse of
copyright laws, those in education must abide by the fair use guidelines and
assure that they are up to date, especially when guidelines are being updated
every so often. “There was an effort to
develop some additional guidelines several years ago, according to Nancy
Willard, a former copyright attorney.” Fortunately,
a set of guidelines, though not legally binding, were created to give educators
a general idea of what they can and cannot do in relation to copyrighting. In addition to gaining knowledge on copyright
and fair use guidelines, teachers must also ensure that knowledge is shared within
the classroom as well. Nancy Willard
expresses how important it is for teachers and educators to teach their
students about copyright law. Adsit believes
that teachers actually hide behind the safety of their students in order to
hide their misuse.
