What Copyright Means to You

So what does it all mean then? 0:00 Why is all this important to you? 0:01 Why is copyright important? 0:03 Well like we discussed earlier, if you're working on a website, 0:05 almost every part of that website is copyrightable. 0:08 But chances are you're not creating it entirely from scratch. 0:11 Maybe you're using WordPress, 0:15 is that copyrighted? 0:17 Clearly you're allowed dowload it free and use it, 0:18 but for what exactly, and how? 0:21 Is that theme you're working with the work of someone else? 0:23 Did you buy that theme, and if you did, can you modify it, can you change it, how much? 0:26 Are you building an iPhone app? 0:31 You didn't write the iOS system that it's running on. 0:33 Are you sure you're working within it's terms of service? 0:37 You never read those things, do you? 0:39 Every creative person, whether a web designer, photographer, film-maker, musician, 0:41 painter, architect, or anything else, 0:46 everyone should have a basic understanding of copyright law in the United States 0:48 and in their own country. 0:53 It's essential for creating anything, working for any sort of company, 0:54 or running any sort of business. 0:58 In the following stages we're going to cover topics including licensing, 1:00 open source, creative comments, where to find content that you can use in your own projects, 1:04 both free and paid, 1:09 how to protect your work, how to share your work while still retaining your rights. 1:10 And even how to deal with people who use your work in a way you don't agree with. 1:14 By the end of it you'll feel pretty confident talking about matters of copyright 1:18 when those discussion arise, and they will. 1:22 And you'll have a good idea of what you want to do with your own creative works. 1:24 So now we understand the very basics of copyright law. 1:28 Are there any exceptions to copyright laws? 1:33 There are, so take a quick quiz, 1:36 and we're going to learn about those next. 1:38