Copyright Infringement vs. Plagiarism

How do you get a copyright?

• Nothing

• You have to register the work with the US Copyright Office

Answer explanation

Copyrights are automatic for anyone who creates something that has the tiniest bit of creativity and is 'fixed in a tangible medium' (aka recorded, written down, drawn, saved on a computer etc.)

Which of the following rights does NOT come with copyright?

• The right to make copies of the work

• The right to display or perform the work in public

• The right to make sequels

• The right to tell someone who buys your work that they can’t sell it.

Answer explanation

The buyer can’t make copies of any work without owner's permission but the copyright can’t stop buyer from selling the items they bought.

You see a really cool painting made by a student in a local craft show. You buy the painting from that student, snap a picture of the design, and start printing it on shirts, phone cases, pop sockets, and posters to sell. Can you get in trouble for copyright?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation

The artist still has the copyright even if someone bought the painting.

How long does a copyright last?

• Life of the creator + 20 years

• Life of the creator + 70 years

• 50 years

• 100 years

Answer explanation

A copyright lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years (or 90 years if the work is created by a corporation).

True or False: Giving credit to the source protects you from copyright infringement

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Giving credit isn’t enough to protect you against copyright. It’s still infringement if you use someone else’s work without their permission. To avoid copyright infringement, make sure you get permission from the copyright owner before you use their work!

What is Fair Use?

• It gives you a free pass to use someone else’s copyrighted work if you’re not doing it to make money.

• It lets you use someone else’s copyrighted work without permission if the right factors are met.

Answer explanation

Fair Use is a defense to copyright infringement and allows you to use someone else’s copyrighted work without asking permission.

Which of the following is not an example of Fair Use?

• Publishing quotes from a new book on a blog with an opinion piece reviewing it.

• Using copyrighted pictures in your PowerPoint presentation for a school project.

• Setting an Instagram model’s picture as your profile pic on a dating app.

• Publishing a copyrighted pic of a celebrity in your school newspaper to report on their recent arrest.

True or False: You can you use works in the Public Domain without violating copyright

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The “public domain” is the space where works go after their copyright expires. Since no one owns them anymore, those ideas are free for anyone to use however they like!

You borrow your friend’s phone and take a Snapchat of her posing with your dog. Who owns the copyright on the pic?

• Your friend

• You

• Snapchat

Answer explanation

Copyright goes to the person who is creating the work. For a photo, that would be the person taking the picture, no matter how creative the model might be.

You read a rule on the internet that you can use up to 30 seconds of a song and 10% of a picture without infringing copyright. Is that true?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation

Even using a tiny portion of a copyrighted work can be infringement (even if it’s just playing in the background)! That’s why so many videos get taken down from YouTube. Try to get permission from the copyright owner or use works in the public domain to be safe!