The issue of copyright is a fickle thing. In this weeks Tutorial/Workshop/Discussion/Endless Stream Of Shit-talking, (which I don’t mind at all) we discussed what copyright issues we will be coming across with our blogs.
The notion of copyright laws was first brought up in the symposium, and after we spoke about it, I was terrified.
It felt like a scaremongering session in what NOT to do on the internet. We were told what we CAN’T do, so every time I thought to share something, I was scared shitless that I would have the pants sued off me and sent to jail for a million-billion years…
Yes, that is an overreaction.
But when it comes to uni, I am a pussy little bitch who is constantly scared of doing the wrong thing (woo for self initiated learning!).
But that’s where the discussion in the tutorial came in handy. The comparison of jay-walking and copyright law in terms of online content was very handy.
When you cross the road in Melbourne, odds are you’re doing something illegal.
Who actually crosses at the intersection? That takes far too much time out of my incredibly busy and important schedule.
I’m gonna cross wherever the hell I want, because if KFC is directly across from me, I am damn well going to cross right there and then. It’s usually pretty safe, I haven’t been hit by a car yet. I haven’t been caught by the 5-0.
So many other people do it, what are the chances of me ever getting caught?
And that right there is it.
So many other people do it, what are the chances of me ever getting caught? And if so many other people are sharing a certain video, or photo or link, what are the odds I will be the one to get picked up on it and sued?
Rather than follow the strict rules of International Copyright Law, which I do not feel like reading up on. You just need to have some common sense, and live in that grey area. If it’s an image on Reddit that has 3000 upvotes and the OP took the original image, you can rest assured that they probably aren’t going to mind if you post it on your blog.
As long as you don’t make any money off it, or pass it off as your own, you’ll be fine and dandy like lemon candy!
Just like a general rule in life, if you’re not a fuckwit, you should be okay.
