Finders keepers, losers weepers??

I remember thinking the saying, "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers", was the law of the land. As a child, it was a tough lesson to learn; finding things that don't belong to you does not mean they are automatically yours. Students must learn a similar lesson in the classroom. Finding things on the web and simply copy and pasting it into their work does not mean it automatically belongs to them. The infamous word that is linked to such a lesson: copyright.

What Is Copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

To take an even more in-depth look into the world of copyright, you can read all of the Copyright Laws of the United States and become an expert. But students don't need to be experts to understand the importance of these laws.

This video would be a great introduction to copyright laws. I would show it to my students and then open up a discussion for them to offer their understanding of how copyright laws apply to their life.

Teaching Copyright is a great web resource to use in the classroom. They offer an entire curriculum which includes 5 60 minute lessons, quizzes and handouts covering everything the students need to know about copyright.

Where to go from here?
Copyright laws are extremely important to teach our students, but just as equally important is understanding how to avoid it. Copyright is a complicated issue, but you can successfully avoid infringement and still copy things found in resources.

If your use of a work falls under the fair use provision, then you're all set! You do not have to get permission from the creator, but you do need to give credit to the creator. "Copyrighted images, graphics, video, sounds, and written material must always be referenced; this is true even if the material is only being used once for a class presentation or project." I found this interactive game called "Is is copyright infringement?" and I would use it to continue to educate and familiarize my students with copyright laws and how to appropriately use someone else's intellectual property.