The topic of discussion this week revolved around copyright rules; what they are and how to go about treating them. Something that I was not aware of, which seems obvious now, is that even though a google search is available to anyone, that does not mean that the  results are available for anyone to use.

I learned a lot on what some of the different parameters of copyright are, including the rules set out by the author of the media that apply to who, where and how their content can be used. Before this, I believed that copyright just involved crediting the author to avoid the act of portraying a piece of work as your own. The actual rules include things such as the requirement to submit any changes made to the piece, crediting the author, and not using it for commercial use, to name a few.

Something that I also didn’t realize is that almost every image online has some sort of reference to which licensing conditions are in effect and what sort of parameters are set for its use. Even on youtube, there is a filter than you can put a search on for strictly creative commons, which are available for use without copyright laws. Ultimately, I was not previously aware that these sorts of laws existed, not to mention that the information I needed to actually be able to use this content was so readily available to me.

This information will certainly be helpful to me moving forward and will ensure that credit is given where (and how) it is due.

Photo by Umberto on Unsplash