Copyright Quiz

1. How do you get a copyright? 

• Do nothing. Copyrights are automatic when you make something creative and tangible 

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

Answer explanation

Correct! Since 1978, 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.) 

2. Which of the following rights does NOT come with copyright?

• The right to make copies of the work

• The right to make sequels

• The right to display or perform the work in public

• The right to tell someone who buys your work that they can't destroy it

Answer explanation

Correct! Copyright itself doesn't give you any say in what a buyer does with your physical piece once they buy it (unless it interferes with one of the rights listed above). True, the buyer can't make copies of your work without your permission, but your copyright can't stop them from hanging your painting in their bathroom, throwing it in a fire pit, or selling their used copy to their best friend if that's what they want to do.

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

• No, you bought the painting, so you can do what you want with it.

• Yes, the artist still has the copyright even if you own the painting

Answer explanation

Correct! Even though you bought the physical painting, the artist still has the copyright to the work. You can do whatever you want with that single physical painting you bought (including selling it), but you need the artist's permission to make copies of the work or have the artist give you the copyright along with the painting.

4. How long does a copyright last?

• Life of the creator + 20 years

• 50 years

• Life of the creator +70 years

• 100 years

Answer explanation

Correct! Since 1978, a copyright lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years (or 90 years if the work is created by a corporation). That's a long time!

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

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Correct! Just 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

•  It's a catch-all defense to copyright infringement

•  It makes creators lose their copyrights so other artists can use their work

Answer explanation

Correct! Fair Use is a defense to copyright infringement and allows you to use someone else's copyrighted work without asking permission. To prove Fair Use, you have to look at number of factors, including (1) why and how you used the work, (2) how much copyright protection the original has, (3) how much/what part of it you used, and (4) if it takes money away from the original.

7. Which of the following could be examples of Fair Use? (select all that apply)

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

• Writing a parody of a new pop song that makes fun of the message from the original

• 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

• Playing a copyrighted song in the background of your video on your YouTube cooking tutorial channel

Answer explanation

Correct! Comment and criticism are both protected under Fair Use. Since readers would have to know what book you're talking about on the blog, it makes sense that you would have to use some copyrighted material to reference it (quotes, cover art, etc.) As long as you're commenting on the quotes, it's likely Fair Use. 

Correct! Comment and criticism are Fair Use. As long as the parody is criticizing/commenting on the original song, it's probably Fair Use.

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

• True, that's what it's for!

• False! They're still copyrighted

Answer explanation

Correct! 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! Some things in the public domain 

include: Frankenstein's monster, characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (book, not the movie), classical paintings like the Mona Lisa.

9. I borrow my friend's phone and take a Snapchat of her posing with my dog. Who owns the copyright on the pic?

• Your friend, since she's the one in the picture

• Your friend, since it's on her phone

• You do, since you took the pic

• You do, because it's your dog

• Snapchat, since you were using their app to take the pic

Answer explanation

Correct! 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. 

10. I 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?

• Of course it's true! Why would the internet ever lie to you?

• No, the internet lied! That's not how copyright works!

Answer explanation

Correct! 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!