PDF Notes Version & Rules of Publication Design Due: March 6

Copyright Assignmentblw 1/29/08

50 Points

PDF Notes version & Rules of Publication Design due: March 6

Presentations begin: March 6

Introduction

Copyright is a controversial issue. As an owner of a desktop publishing business, you must use information. Your access to such information is not free. The copyright holders expect to be compensated for the ownership of their creative works that contain that information. Fair use, however, is a doctrine that gives you the right to use copyrighted works under limited circumstances without paying or requesting permission.

Task

You are to learn what can and cannot be done by you. You will research one of the following copyright dilemmas and use a PowerPoint presentation to explain why it is or is not a violation of the copyright law.

Process

1)Study the resources relevant to your topic.

2)You are to complete one of the following dilemmas.

3)You are to create a PowerPoint presentation that espouses your point of view on the dilemma. You are to work as an individual.

4)Your point of view should be heavily and correctly supported by law and good, reliable research. Identify each source of information as you use it. List all resources that you consulted on the last slide.

5)When creating the PowerPoint, remember all of the good presentation techniques covered in Creating an Effective PowerPoint and Notes for Effective Presentations.

6)The title slide should have a title, the Dilemma No., and your name. Make extensive notes in the notes section of each slide. Slide 2 should have the Dilemma No. and the entire text of the dilemma.

7)The Five Rules of Publication Design should be on the next-to-last slide.

8)The last slide should have a listing, with hyperlinks, of all your resources.

9)E-mail your PowerPoint presentation to me as a PDF (Portable Document File) file printed in notes version.

Evaluation

Please see the file Copyright PowerPoint Evaluation.

Conclusion

Now much of the dilemma regarding copyright and fair use is gone. You know what to copy and what not to copy. You know what copyright covers and what fair use provide an exception for. You know how to avoid negative legal consequences related to copyright. You now have the skills to correctly abide by the Copyright Law. Feel free to research one of the dilemmas that you did not cover.

Copyright Dilemmas

1)Mr. Berg is teaching a poetry lesson, and the poem he wants to use is out of print. He locates a copy on the web and asks you to photocopy it. Since it is out of print, he reasons that he can ask you to make copies and use it every semester without asking for permission. Is this true? Why?

2)Ms. Inez I. Coloralot uses coloring books in her pre-kindergarten classes. She copies selected pictures that fit the Arkansas Benchmarks and has the students color the pictures. She uses the pictures as a method of accomplishing the Benchmarks. She is a respected teacher, and her students do significantly better on state tests than students from other classes. She asks you to make the copies. Has she violated the copyright law?

3)Ms. Viola, the choral teacher at SonataMiddle School, orders music for the winter choral contest in October and immediately asks you to make copies of her personal copy of the score so the students can begin learning the music right away. Would you violate the copyright law by copying them?

4)Mr. Concerto, the band director at School of Arts, has a score music that would be appropriate for the spring concert, but the arrangement was too difficult for this year’s band, so he rewrites portions so that the band can perform it. He asks you to make the copies. Has he violated the copyright law?

5)You are creating your company’s first in house newsletter. Your boss suggests the name “Nuts to You” with a picture of Charlie Brown on the masthead. How do you respond? What are the legal implications?

6)The local coordinator of the beauty pageant brings the professional pictures of several contestants to you. He wants you to scan, digitalize, and make several copies of each picture for the upcoming pageant. What are the legal implications?

7)Since you are so good with computers, a local business person asks you to install some software onto several of their computers. When you arrive at the office, you discover that they have purchased one shelf copy of the software. There are two desktop computers, one notebook, and one tablet computer at the business. What do you do and why?

8)While riding home with a coworker, you admire the music playing in the CD. She promises to bring you a copy of the CD. She further states that her son personally burned the compilation from several “oldies but goodies.” How do you respond?

9)You stop to get gas at the local station. While pumping, a man approaches you with copies of the latest movies (not yet on video). He offers to sell them to you at $15 each. He promises a good quality product and gives you his phone number for assurance that you will be satisfied. How do you respond? (PS: I, personally, witnessed this scenario.)

10)Define plagiarism. How might it affect you as a student? What are the legal implications?

11)Identify the aspects of Fair Use. Explain fully. Who might be affected by it?

12)You have an extensive eight tract collection. Since no one makes eight tract players anymore and your player is beginning to wear out, you decide to copy all of the songs onto CDs. You legally bought each one, so you reason that it is legal to copy them onto CDs.