It is so easy to just copy and paste and insert the work of someone else into your own. Doing this without giving credit to the creator is wrong but just giving credit sometimes is not enough.
After something is created it is protected by copyright which, “protects the original works of authorship in any tangible medium of expression … from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated” (D. E. and L. K., 2019). Now that does not mean you can not use what they created. It just means that there are certain steps that you have to take in order to avoid copyright infringement.
These steps can be time-consuming (having to wait for permission) or costly (paying to use the creation) and these may not be things you want to deal with. However, you still want to use the creation or at least part of it.
There is a way you can do this and that is through Fair use. Fair use is, “the right to use copyrighted works under certain conditions without permission of the copyright owner” (D. E. and L. K., 2019). Discovering Fair use was a sigh of relief for me because as a teacher I do not always want to “reinvent the wheel” and will turn to the internet for ideas. However, when looking for ideas I was always very hesitant when choosing resources because I was afraid of stealing someone else’s work.
Check out my Fair Use Remix video in order to get a more in-depth understanding of Fair use and how to use pieces of copyrighted materials in your own work.
References
Animography. (2013). Typography Font. [GIF]. Giphy. https://giphy.com/gifs/animography-animated-typography-font-LdfbGz2YlwjZu
Common Sense Education. Copyright and Fair Use Animation. [Video]. https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/copyright-and-fair-use-animation
D. E. & L. K. (2019). Selecting Digital Media for Your Website: Understanding Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. In T. Trust (Ed.), Web Design Basics for Educators. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/webdesign/selectingdigitalmedia
Jansen, C. (2020, July 12). Fair Use Remix. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R5kFeUOA5s
Lessig, L. (2008). Remis: Making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid economy. Penguin. https://remix.lessig.org/remix.php