Immutable Security

Who knew that a bunch of librarians could produce cool, online tools? Well, the folks over at the Copyright Advisory Network have done just that. Here are four tools to help you navigate the sometimes confusing and seemingly obscure US copyright law:

• The Public Domain Slider is my favorite of all of these tools. For example, did you know that a copyrighted work first published prior to 1923 is now in the public domain? That means you can use, sell, redistribute and do whatever else you want to all sorts of wonderful print, audio and video. Go ahead and post them to the file sharing sites and have a chuckle if you get a cease and decist letter.
• The Section 108 Spinner is primarily for librarians and archivists. Under certain circumstances, they get to reproduce entire copyrighted works. Those wiley librarians get to have all the fun!
• The Exceptions for Instructors eTool is for, well, instructors.  Just like librarians, instructors can laugh off all of those litigious attorneys who would rather they didn’t know their rights under copyright law.  Am I the only one picturing a teacher with a cape and a big © on their chest?
• Finally, the Fair Use Evaluator helps you to make a subjective determination whether your use is defensable as fair under the law. Remember, fair use of a copyrighted work does not require the permission of the copyright holder. Also remember that it is a defense to infringement, which means that a judge gets to decide if your use was fair once sued.

Until next time…