Copyright+and+Creative+Commons

=__An Introduction to Copyright and Fair Use:__=

Copyright is complicated--and restrictive. But there is such a thing as fair use under copyright law.

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[|Using the Four Factor Fair Use Test]

__So What is Creative Commons?__
[|Creative Commons] Some creators want others to be able to re-mix and use their work--within and beyond the limits of fair use. Traditional copyright often doesn't allow for that; the Creative Commons movement grew out of a desire the creators of online content had to share their work and contribute to our "remix culture".

Creative Commons licensing allows creators to specify how they will allow others to use their work. These are the elements of Creative Commons licensing:



__Why should you care about Copyright and Creative Commons?__

 * Just because it's easy to find for free online, doesn't mean it's free for you to use however you want.
 * You'd want someone to respect something you'd created--whether it be a video, a picture, a song, or a piece of writing--so you should respect what other people have created.
 * By using creative works that have Creative Commons licensing, you encourage more people to license their work under a Creative Commons license--making more work for freely available.
 * Copyright law may never keep up with our culture, but Creative Commons gives us an ethical way to work around restrictive copyright laws.

[|Creative Commons Search Engine] [|30 Places to Find Creative Comons Media]

A Slideshare slideshow on why we should use Creative Commons media in the classroom:

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For more information on copyright and fair use check out these links: []