According to our reading, The Privatization of Public Knowledge, the constitutional purpose of copyrights were to “advance and diffuse knowledge”. What it has turned into is a monopoly and exclusive ownership of intellectual property that extends longer than it was originally intended. Many laws have come out extending the length that information can by copyrighted. It has even gone so far that many groups including MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), The Center for Copyright Information and iKeepSafe are trying to implement copyright law into elementary education. Internet service providers have also come up with a plan to stop copyright infringement through illegal downloading. This plan includes email warnings, warning browsers, and the slowing and taking away of Internet access. It is funny though when the tables get turned: a political party was accused of pirating by a news editor and paid for it!
Check out Chilling Effects for FAQs and Answers about copyright and fair use. If you are unsure of whether or not your use of copyrighted material is fair, look at these 5 questions to ask yourself.
