Copy Right and Creative Commons

Photo: Thomas Gehrke; flicker images

I found the information on creative commons and copyright very interesting. I had no idea that all original work is protected by copyright without needing to apply for it. As a creative person, that makes me feel good, because I do worry about what can happen to my stories once they are published.
I had a creative writing class that used blogs to share work and I always felt like I needed to keep my best ideas off my blog to protect them. I am glad that I will be able to tell my students that their work is protected even when it is published on a blog.

I also really liked learning about creative commons. I like that people are willing to let their work be shared, but also have a way to protect the integrity of their work. It really makes sense when it comes to photographs, but I also think it would work well for written works. It also helps me understand how books like The Martian started as a blog and then became a Kindle book for $ 0.99 and finally a best selling book and blockbuster movie. I always though that was cool, but I never understood how the author was able to protect his rights to the story if it was something that everyone could access.

The idea of fair use is also interesting. I think it is important that education gets a buffer when it comes to copyright laws because education should not be limited. I agree that teachers should not be photocopied a whole book and giving it to their students, but a page or two is okay. 

As the conversation in class continued I found myself wondering how often copyright laws are infringed upon and how often they go unpunished. I know that it is really easy to get movies and songs online and I wonder if people simply don't care that their intellectual property is being used, or, if they don't know, or, even if it is just too hard to contain? My guess is that it is a combination of all three, and that some creators are very offended by their work being distributed without their knowledge.  



 

by Tyler.stefanich, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyler.stefanich_-_Creative_Commons_Swag_Contest_2007_2_(by).jpg