The Desk Set

If you want to learn copyright, this is the place to start. The documents contained at this site provide definitions of terms of art upon which the law rests, limitations on copyright privileges, how copyright impacts various types of works (visual, musical, architectural, etc.), and various acts that have amended copyright over the course of the history of the US.

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Kenneth Crews, the Director of the Copyright Advisory Office, speak in my Information Policy class, as well as in session at ALA. This is a great entry-level site that talks about the ins and outs of copyright, fair use, how copyright impacts libraries, how to seek permissions for use of copyright protected information and items. You name it, Dr. Crews has it. Well, at least as far as copyright info is concerned.

While copyright is but one of the subjects addressed in Professor Smith’s blog, he’s always very insightful and is quite a good writer to boot. Pay special attention to his analysis of the Georgia State case.

Lawrence Lessig’s baby, Creative Commons, is a handy way for authors to promise that if you use their stuff, they won’t sue you. The sticky wicket is that Creative Commons licenses do not trump the law of the land the signed contracts / licenses do. But this is a good start for opening up on the more restrictive aspects of copyright law.

This is my new preferred method for searching out images on Flickr that have been assigned Creative Commons licenses. Very handy!

Copyright and Copywrongs by Siva Vaidhyanathan

I like Professor V. immensely, on Twitter and in pretty much every book he writes. This books gives a history of copyright law through the past century and is particularly interested in the cultural consequences of overreach, particularly with regard to the ways in which the music recording industry (note – not the publishers!) smacks down on fans who share music over various software, which can be considered a copyright protected entities in their own right.

This guy is a national treasure.

This is the article that changed my entire perspective on the issue of copyright. Hyde cogently discusses the philosophy behind Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution – to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

So with that, it’s adios for now! Thank you to The Desk Set for having me. It’s been fun! In the near future, I can be found at SLA NY’s Student Swing, METRO’s Annual Meeting, SLA@Pratt’s meetings and events (tbd), and at various parties and happy hours around the city.