Copyright and Fair Use

            This comic is about the laws surrounding copyright and fair use that control what is protected from being used without permission.

            I learned a lot of history about copyright laws from this comic, as well as what the current laws are. This comic addresses both the advantages and disadvantages that copyright laws have on artists. While these laws may stifle the creativity of artists, such as documentarians, they also serve to protect them. These laws give artists full control over their works; however, the laws do not protect ideas, only the products of ideas. These laws can be a hassle, especially when artists unintentionally include copyrighted material in their works. This is something that can be allowed on the policy of fair use; however, these claims of having fair use often results in lawsuits that force artists to cut out whatever was being disputed or pay a hefty fine.

            This comic made me realize how prevalent copyright laws actually are. I also realized how complicated they are, with there being varying limits of how long a copyright lasts depending on what type of work it is and if the copyright is renewed, among other factors. Because of these intricacies, it almost seems as if incorporating the works of others into one’s own art would be more hassle than it is worth. I also think that the laws, while they are meant to protect all artists—even small, independent ones—give large corporations a lot of power. This is evident in some of the examples the comic references in its earlier pages, such as Fox demanding $10,000 dollars for a 4.5 second clip of The Simpsons playing in the background of a scene in a documentary.

            While these laws will not have as much as an impact on me as a teacher as they did on the documentarian featured in the comic, I will have to comply to them whenever I wish to use an image, song, or video. These copyright laws would also apply to students who want to incorporate some of these aspects into their work. Because of this, it is important that students be properly educated on copyright laws and how to cite materials they use.