I have always been a little uncertain about what is legally accessible on the Internet, and what is considered copyright infringement. For example, years ago, before all the laws and restrictions on downloading music were so publicized, I would download music for free constantly through the use of Limewire. I now understand that this is illegal, and I currently use ITunes to purchase my music before I download it. However, other copyright laws aren't so clear to me. Sometimes it is difficult for me to discern what is copyrighted and therefore off limits, and what is public domain.
The Disney video that we were required to watch didn't necessarily help me better understand the concept of what is copyrighted versus what is not. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney movies! (Maybe a little too much) I found the video more distracting, because in my mind I would constantly play out the rest of the movie scene, rather than grasp the concept of what they were trying to say. If the quiz were given on those movies, I would certainly get an A! However I feel it is safe to assume that the quiz will not question my knowledge of my favorite Disney classics. So I decided to do a little research. Using the tools I learned in the Information Search section, I found some websites that helped me better understand exactly what copyright infringement is.
I first looked to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/copyright_infringement for a definition and explanation of copyright infringement. I find Wikipedia to be one of the most resourceful websites for understanding a concept. I actually learned about where the word "piracy" comes from (just another label for the act of infringement,) which is something I found interesting. It dates back as early as 1603, when the Stationer's Company of London received a royal charter giving the company a monopoly on publication, and tasked it with enforcing the charter. The violators of this charter were labeled as "pirates." The term was used again in 1703 by Daniel Defoe, who said that his novel The True Born Englishman was being "printed again and again by Pyrates." Of course this term is still widely used today.
One other website that I found to be very helpful was www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html. The title of the article is "10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained." It basically explains to the reader what is true in regards to copyright infringement and what is false, and why. For example, just because something doesn't have a copyright notice doesn't mean that it's not copyrighted. Although this was true in the past, the law in the U.S. is that almost everything that was an original and private creation after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected, regardless of whether it has a notice or not. It also goes into detail about the differences between copyright and trademark, and gives several examples of what information can be used legally and what is considered a copyright infringement. After reading this article I felt like I had a better understanding of what I could consider public domain, and I will certainly keep that in mind as I continue to use the Internet as a multi-purpose tool.
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