I am excited
about this class and glad that we are covering copyright in depth. We have hit
on this topic briefly in the program, but it was never truly defined resulting
in mixed results with my cohorts’ projects. I have just tried to keep it
simple and I limited myself with Microsoft Office clip art because that usage
seemed clear to me. Having watched the videos, the fog has cleared and I have a
much better grasp of the entire copyright issue.
What I find
most interesting and potentially frightful is the cultural impact that Copyright
and Fair Use might have on society. I was concerned and upset about the
explanation of the use of the Martin Luther King Jr. documentary, “Eyes on the
Prize”; that it has been prohibited to be shown or preserved because of
copyright laws and some people want to make a profit off of it. I agree with
the commentators that this eventually comes down to censorship of history by
making it private property. Individuals that want to make a profit cannot bind
history, the greater good and evolution of a society depends on freedom of expression
and the writing of histories’ stories. I am glad that there are groups that are
fighting to preserve the rights of people to express themselves and make documentaries,
thus improving our democracy.
I went to YouTube and found out that the clip we watched is old and it is on DVD and has been aired on PBS. I know that I have two of the DVD’s that are pictured in the film. I also went to Amazon, but the price is about $400.00 for the DVD. The film is available, but still out of reach. The debate continues and people persevere fighting the fights for making history accessible.
ImagevSource: Microsoft Office Clip Art; MP900427695jpg
Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize, YouTube, Uploaded by mediathatmatters on May 4, 2007
I went to YouTube and found out that the clip we watched is old and it is on DVD and has been aired on PBS. I know that I have two of the DVD’s that are pictured in the film. I also went to Amazon, but the price is about $400.00 for the DVD. The film is available, but still out of reach. The debate continues and people persevere fighting the fights for making history accessible.
ImagevSource: Microsoft Office Clip Art; MP900427695jpg
Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize, YouTube, Uploaded by mediathatmatters on May 4, 2007
Debbie Patsel - I couldn't agree with you more about being glad that we are finally covering "Copyright Issues." I feel that this should have been covered in the very first month at Full Sail. By covering such an important topic early enough, would have helped clear up any issues that might have come up. I feel like I am sticking to what I know, as well, and it might be hindering our chances to expand our learning experiences. I feel like if would have we felt more comfortable using these copyrighted materials appropriately, some of our projects/videos might have come out better than they did because we were just sticking to the simplest versions of what we knew.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you mentioned the cost of a DVD being so out of reach because I did the same thing when I heard the DJ Danger Mouse (The Grey Album) being mentioned in the documentary, Good Copy/Bad Copy. I know that in 2005, I was a part of the movement that caught wind of that particular album and, to this day, I think it's amazing. I know that I bought it in 2005, but I'm not too sure where it is. However, when I looked the album up on the Internet, I was shocked to see that you can't find the CD without looking extensively for it and the vinyl version is being sold for $50 on Amazon.com... CRAZY!!! I remember buying a t-shirt and adding a copy of that album onto my order for $5.
Debbie, I am happy to study the copyright law as well. I absolutely love this stuff, and am very excited about diving into the information. I remember watching "Eyes on the Prize" in high school. It was a documentary which aired on PBS. If my memory serves me correctly, it was a Social Studies assignment. We all had to watch the five-part series and complete a paper about what was learned. Now of course I live in Alabama, and only 56 miles from Birmingham and about 140 miles from Montgomery. That said, this area was a hotbed when the series originally aired. The problem is that now I have a daughter, who is growing up in the same area, but will not be exposed to such an important part of her personal history. We still have family members and friends who were involved in the movement. It is a real shame that an entire generation will be rob of these important views of our past.
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie Patsel, I was surprised to read about the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. documentary and the issues of copyright with it! Really when I think about the historical aspects of the documentary and it not being able to preserved for future generations is heartbreaking. So profits sneak into many of the copyright issues. I am really happy to be learning about copyright laws. I never realized it touched so many different areas. I can only wonder what other amazing movies, music, etc. that we are not able to access because of copyright laws. I love your image it is cool! I use Teaching Tolerance lessons and thankfully they have some great videos that I can show to my students.
ReplyDeleteDebbie,
ReplyDeleteI too found that short little history clip very disturbing. I also checked my film archives. However, this just adds to the questions that still remain. Even if you pay $400.00 for a DVD and we dare to share this DVD with our classroom audience, are we violating copyright law? As I understand it, under Fair Use, you might be able to get away with clips and only if your lesson could be taught no other way. If all these criteria fit, then you need to go through the “process” to determine Fair Use. The area remains very grey… Which leads me to believe the ground is fertile ground for litigation… (Dum, Dum Dum)…. Oops… Is that copyrighted?
Debra,
ReplyDeleteYour post was well done. I particularly like your comment about people expressing themselves through documentaries and improving our democracy. I remember the first time I watched Sicko by Michael Moore. It was outlandish that the United States has such a blockade and mark-up on prescription drugs and has such a conservative view on “illegal” drugs like marijuana. Seeing that documentary made me feel like moving to a different country that truly understands medication and health benefits. The saddest part was this woman who was a single mom and had to move out of New York City after helping clean up 911 because she could not afford her medicine. She went to Cuba with Michael and was able to get a full prescription for 5 cents when she had to pay over 300 dollars a month for the same medication here in the United States. I applaud your efforts in researching the DVD. Your research proves exactly what was portrayed in the course content. People are afraid of losing their property and because of technology we really have to stay ahead of the curve to protect intellectual property.
Great overview and interaction with the reading. I do need to update the information about the documentary, but it's obviously not priced from personal use. That's sad. And while the DVD is available, it's being kept from becoming a stronger part of our cultural heritage by it's prohibitive price. Sad.
ReplyDelete