COPYRIGHT & THE
WEB
By
Diane Lai
Mike Magilligan
Elizabeth McCall
Sean Rockoff
Spring, 2009
LIS 654-04 Information Technologies – Dr. Gilok Choi
Pratt Institute, School of Information & Library Science
COPYRIGHT & THE WEB
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Copyright & Web Design
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Image Copyright Protection
Copyright & YouTube
Readings
Discussion Questions
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Copyright & Web Design
Copyright Basics
Content & Design
Original Material vs. Licensed Material
Public Domain
Fair Use
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(http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Web/WebDesign.aspx)
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How to Protect Your Website
Technical Countermeasures
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digital watermarking
spiders
Legal Protection
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copyright
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ownership
notice
registration
(http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Web/WebProtect.aspx)
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Digital Millennium Copyright Act
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Passed October 28, 1998
U.S. government’s response to two
international treaties:
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1996 World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) Copyright Treaty; and
WIPO Performance and Phonograms Treaty
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Digital Millennium Copyright Act
DCMA Key Provisions
Section 1201
Protects copyright owners
against technological
circumvention of copyrighted
material
Manufacture, sale or
distribution of such devices is
unlawful
Section 1202
Protects copyright management
information systems (CMIs)
CMIs contain info about author,
title, terms of use, etc.
Law enforcement and libraries
exempt under limited conditions
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Digital Millennium Copyright Act
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Generally supported by software
developers, entertainment industry
Librarians, scientific researchers and
academics have concerns
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Image Copyright Protection
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The nature of “copy” is blurred on the Web
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Unlimited distribution
Unlimited copying
The “imaginary property” argument:
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If I steal your car, you no longer have your car.
If I steal your image file, you still have it.
That’s not really stealing, is it?
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Time, money, and effort of creation
Copyright law says it is
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Image Copyright Protection
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Can I use an image from the web if:
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It has no copyright notice
I’m not using it for a commercial purpose
I give credit to the owner
I include the creator’s copyright notice
I take it down if the owner complains
I can’t find the copyright owner
I asked for permission and never heard back
No one else is displaying it, so there’s no other way anyone will ever
see it
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Image Copyright Protection
Hotlinking
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Steals intellectual property and bandwidth
Free for all?
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No – publically accessible ! = public domain
Get permission first!
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Creative Commons ● Fair Use
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YouTube Copyright Legalese
1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act
“Don’t Look at Me” Section 230
Fair Use is Fair Game
The Gloves Come Off, $1 Billion Viacom Suit
Implement Copyright Filtering System
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David vs. Goliath?
Protecting the user
Revenue sharing partnership
Can’t beat them….join them
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Readings
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Biehl, Kathy (2006, February 7). Bloggers beware: Debunking nine copyright myths of
the online world - updated. http://www.llrx.com/features/bloggersbeware.htm
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Field, Jr., Thomas G. Copyright on the internet.
http://www.piercelaw.edu/thomasfield/ipbasics/copyright-on-the-internet.php
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Carrie on Copyright http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/community/Copyright/47058.html
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Copyright Basics - http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf
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Copyright Website – Website Design
http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Web/WebDesign.aspx
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Copyright Website – Web Protection
http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Web/WebProtect.aspx
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Discussion Questions
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What is the best way to know that your
website is protected under the copyright
law?
How do you ensure that your website is not
infringing on copyrighted material?
Is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act fair
and balanced?