Copyright issues underlie practically every item we read, view, or listen to. Copyright protection vests automatically in both unpublished and published original works of authorship when fixed in a discernable format. No notice or action on the part of the author is required. It’s literally just there! With some exceptions (17 USC § 107- §122; http://uscode.house.gov), the law grants authors exclusive control for a limited time over the use of their works. This “bundle of five rights” includes the right to reproduce, distribute, adapt, perform, and display a work.
The Library of Congress today ruled that breaking copy protection is legal on many devices, including phones, for the sake of fair use. The decision specifically allows smartphone owners to jailbreak and root their phones to run legal third-party apps. It similarly greenlights unlocking the phone for use on another network that allows the practice.
"The year end is often a time to review finances, clean off desks, and get organized for the new year. Below is a list of actions to get your copyright matters in order"
"A headline from the Creative Commons blog caught our eye this past week: "New federal education fund grants $2 billion to create OER resources in community colleges." OER, or open educational resources, are those educational materials that are available with open licenses. Rather than "all rights reserved," these resources are available for users to take, adapt, and reuse - a way to make educational content more accessible and more usable by teachers and students. "
"First, if this injunction were adopted as proposed, it would enjoin everyone at Georgia State, including students, who would seem to largely lose their fair use rights by virtue of enrolling at GSU. It would apply to e-reserves, faculty web pages and any learning management systems in use or adopted in the future. It would make GSU responsible for every conceivable act of copying that took place on their campus. In short, administrators at Georgia State would have to look over the shoulders of each faculty member whenever they uploaded course material to an LMS or any other web page. Arguably, they would have to monitor student copying at copiers provided in their libraries, since GSU would be enjoined from “encouraging or facilitating” any copying, beyond a limit of about 4 pages, that was done without permission."