17 July 2006

Copyright

I've been doing some reading about Copyright law in the last few days. I've found a few good sites describing the situations surrounding artist copyright and distribution, but nothing that really satisfies my needs exactly. The following QA, and a few other tidbits from This Website are instructive.

Q: Are there any times that I can use a copyrighted work without risking infringement?

A. Yes. The concept of fair use permits the utilization of copyrighted materials for certain purposes. For example, a newspaper can publish copyrighted works for purposes of reporting news and a teacher can make multiple copies of certain works for classroom use without risking infringement. In order to determine if a use is fair or is an infringement, one must determine how much of the copyrighted work is used and the impact this use will have on the potential market for the copyrighted work. If large portions of a copyrighted work are used or if the use lessons the potential market for the work, there will be infringement.

I think, in this Blog, the use of artists works, with permission where possible is fair. I don't think the value of copyrighted works is compromised. Please contact me if your works are used but you would prefer them removed.

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