Copyright (and Wrong)

for Sixth Graders

© 2000-2004 Animation Library

Don’t be an information

thief!

Did you know that:

There are laws protecting the rights of people who create original work.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

These laws protect any original creation including books, stories, papers, drawings, paintings, music, video, items on the Internet, etc.

An item does not have to be registered to be copyrighted.

If an item is copyrighted, others do not have the right to use it without permission!

Did you know that:

Some things are not copyrighted, including:

Facts, ideas, methods, processes, etc.

Compilations such as telephone and address books

Items in the public domain (usually older items)

Government documents

But, be careful – If in doubt, assume something IS copyrighted.

Which of the following are copyrighted?

A book from the library

A television commercial

The theory of gravity

The story you wrote in Language Arts class

The note your boyfriend passed you in math class

The process of photosynthesis

The ghost story your counselor told around the campfire

A painting hanging in the art museum

Your little brother’s drawing that is hanging on the refrigerator

A song your teenage sister downloaded from the Internet

A melody you heard your dad whistling

An e-mail you received from your cousin

A photograph on the Internet

The fact that the sky is blue

So, if something is copyrighted, can I ever use it?

YES,

if you get permission from the creator,

OR if you put the information into your own words,

OR if you follow FAIR USE guidelines.

In ANY case, be sure to give the creator credit!

How do I get permission from the creator?

Write them a letter,

OR

Send them an e-mail.

How do I put information into my own words?

This is a really important skill not only because it prevents plagiarism, but also because it will help you understand the material!

READ the material. THINK about what it means. WRITE it down, but word it differently than the creator did.

From: World Book Online, used with permission

Hurricanes are most common during the summer and early fall. In the Atlantic and the Northeast Pacific, for example, August and September are the peak hurricane months. Typhoons occur throughout the year in the Northwest Pacific but are most frequent in summer. In the North Indian Ocean, tropical cyclones strike in May and November. In the South Indian Ocean, the South Pacific Ocean, and off the coast of Australia, the hurricane season runs from December to March. Approximately 85 hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones occur in a year throughout the world. In the rest of this article, the term hurricane refers to all such storms.

Hurricane Notes:

Atlantic & NE Pacific Oceans - summer and fall – peak months – August & SeptemberNW Pacific – all year but mostly summerN Indian Ocean – May & NovemberS Indian Ocean, S Pacific, & Australian coast – December – MarchOther names for hurricanes – typhoons, tropical cyclonesAbout 85 each year

Hurricane Paragraph, in my own words:

Hurricanes are also called typhoons or tropical cyclones. In the Atlantic Ocean they usually occur in August and September, but in other oceans they can happen all year. There are about 85 hurricanes around the world each year.

Citation: (copied and pasted from the World Book Online website)

Barnes, Gary. "Hurricane." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. 17 June 2004. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar267860>.

How do I follow FAIR USE guidelines?Fair use guidelines give teachers, students, librarians, and others permission to use copyrighted materials without permission in special situations.

The fair use guidelines are not easy to understand. In general, if the material is for educational use and is not used for profit, a student may use a SMALL amount of the material.

Credit must be given to the creator even if it is considered fair use to use an item.

How MUCH can I use under fair use guidelines?Video – 3 minutes or 10% (whichever is less)

Text – 1000 words or 10% (whichever is less)

Poetry – 1 poem of less than 250 words or 250 word excerpt from a longer poem

Music – 30 seconds or 10% (whichever is less)

Images – 15 images or 10% (whichever is less) but no more than five images from a single creator

If you need to use more, ask permission!

Be sure to give credit, even if you are only using a small amount!

How do I give the creator credit?

For images, include the following under each image:

© date, creator

Example:

©2004, Animation Library

All resources used, including sources of images, should be cited in a bibliography. This will be the last page of a written report, or the last slide of a power point, or a link on a website.

How do I write citations for my bibliography?Collect the following information for each resource you use as you conduct your research. You can fill out the cards available in the library or keep a page on your h drive or a flash drive

Titles of books, magazine articles, encyclopedia articles, websites or web pages

Authors’ names

Publishers, cities of publication, and publication dates

Dates you visited websites or that websites were last updated

Website addresses

For simple projects, list the information above.

For more formal projects, follow MLA format. There are sheets in the library explaining how to do this. There is also a link on the Baker Library website.

BibliographyAnimation Library. 15 June 2004. http://webclipart.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.animationlibrary.com%2Fa-l%2F%3Fn%3Dsubcat_images.php3%26id%3D319%26start%3D0%26end%3D20

Barnes, Gary. "Hurricane." World Book Online Reference Center. 2004. World Book, Inc. 17 June 2004. http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar267860.

Davidson, Hall. Classroom Copyright Chart. 15 June 2004.

http://www.halldavidson.net/download2.html#anchor696085

Gardner, Phyllis D. COPYRIGHT???!!! 3 March 2003.

http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/schools/jones/Copyright-Kids/index.htm

Harper, Georgia. Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia. 6 August 2001. http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/ccmcguid.htm

Simpson, Carol. Copyright for Schools, a Practical Guide. Worthington, Ohio: Linworth, 2001.

U.S. Copyright Office. Copyright Basics. December 2000. http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

U.S. Copyright Office. Copyright Laws of the United States. 15 June 2004. http://www.copyright.gov/title17/