Click on any phrase to play the video from that point.
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[Adobe Youth Voices - Copyright Overview]
So you're headed out to shoot some footage of peers or adults
for your Adobe Youth Voices media project,
and your program facilitator says that you need to collect a model release
for all the people you speak with.
Or maybe you found a song or image on the Internet
that you'd like to incorporate into your video or animation,
but your program facilitator says copyright law prevents you from using it.
What do you do?
Adobe Youth Voices is all about creativity and originality.
In this video you'll learn how to create and use media
following the Adobe Youth Voices guidelines for distribution.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a tool for media creators to have complete legal control
over the use of their work.
It gives professionals like authors, filmmakers, and inventors a set of tools
to protect their creations from getting stolen or misused.
It's a powerful law that can play a simple role in the work that you do as a media creator.
In fact, if you've written an original script or poem,
created a video or even designed a poster,
you automatically own the copyright.
This means that you, the author, can choose if others may copy your work,
distribute your work, perform or display your work,
or even make derivative works.
Under the US law of copyright, the author basically gets to pick and choose
how their works are used.
But this also means that as a media creator,
you must be careful about how you use original media created by others.
To put it plain and simple, if you'd like to use an original work that has copyright,
you must get written permission by the author.
Regardless of the country that you're in and beyond the law,
this is about ethics and doing the right thing.
Educators, we encourage you to teach your youth about copyright
as an integral part of the media creation process.
Avoiding Copyright Infringement.
As part of understanding how copyright works,
it's important to understand how to get permission and give credit
when using works by others in your project.
If you intend to use material created by others,
the best thing you can do is contact the author and ask for permission.
This is also referred to as a license.
If you do this, be sure to explain the specifics of how you plan to use their work
and understand that they may ask for something in return
such as a fee or written credit.
The other alternative is to make a unique work inspired by the original copywritten work.
In this case, however, you do run the risk that the newly created work
is unmistakably similar to the original.
You could be infringing on the copyright.
Fair Use.
There is, however, one exception to the rule and that's fair use.
Fair use of a copyrighted work is when the work is used for purposes
such as criticism or commentary.
For instance, if you'd like to write a poem that incorporates lyrics from a pop musician,
consider how you're using it and the amount of content used.
If it's used to create a critique of pop music and you only use a couple lines,
this would likely be considered fair.
But if you copy the chorus of the song and thus you share the same message,
this would likely be infringement on the original copyright.
The Adobe Foundation wants to distribute your work
but must follow these guidelines precisely.
So the only time you can use copyrighted media is when you're commenting
or critiquing the media,
and even then, Adobe Youth Voices may be unable to distribute the final work.
It's not always easy to distinguish these types of uses,
and there have been many lawsuits to determine whether or not a use is fair.
If there is any doubt whether something qualifies for the fair use exception,
you should err on the side of caution
and negotiate a license with the original copyright holder.
No matter how you negotiate the use of someone else's material,
always remember to cite your references in the credits of your final media work.
As a media maker, you have rights and responsibilities surrounding copyright.
So when in doubt, make it original.
When using copyrighted works by others, always seek permission and give proper credit.
If you follow these simple guidelines and submit a non-exclusive license agreement,
Adobe Youth Voices will do its best to distribute your work to a wide audience.
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[Adobe Youth Voices] [♪♪]
