As librarians we are always interested in copyright law and its place in today's world. Recently another copyright issue has been in the news involving YouTube and the Viacom network. I know many people feel it is okay to make a copy of any materials out there as long as it's for their personnal use but if materials are copyrighted doesn't the owner have the right to the profits from their work?
How do you feel? Should copying movies or music off the web always be okay or are there times when it should be illegal? Do you think that if materials are allowed to be copied it will eventually limit the number of items being produced because the profits will not be there? Is this all moot because we can not control it anyway?
RM
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As one of the videos Amy posted on another message here shows, we are going to have to re-think many of the issues surrounding copyright and intellectual property. New technologies make the old systems moot, yet the creative people who produce books, stories, music, videos etc. deserve to be compensated for their work. So *what* those resolutions will be eludes me. It is clear to me that current laws and practices are no longer suitable.
Last year I dipped my toes into the world of Creative Commons and was really impressed with the way they were thinking about things. I haven't kept up, but I have noticed far more people publishing their work with a creative commons licence. Wikipedia depends on it, as does Flickr I think.
I checked out Creative Commons and I like that it gives the artist/creator an avenue for sharing their work in the way that they choose. My real concern is for the people whose work is being copied without permission. Do you make copies of movies you rent or borrow?? Why should I pay for a new release when I can get a bootleg one before the film is even on the shelves at my local video store. The lines are very blurred and yes the old rules have to rethought but when is wrong just wrong? If I choose, as the artist to share my work for free that's okay but why should you be allowed to steal it or are you?
The North Adams Public Library, and the other public libraries I know, do NOT make full copies for the public of any of the materials that cross our desks, except for some of the historical materials that are too old be be covered by copyright any more. There are certain things that libraries MAY legally copy that are NOT legal for the public to copy, but that is a very limited and carefully defined permission. Yes, under current (and I hope future) law it is illegal to bootleg a copy of a movie or video or what have you without the appropriate permissions, but as you point out that does not stop many people. And how do you control that!?! I just don't know.
k
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