Unit Two: Protect Oneself and Others
Unit Objectives:
- Familiarize with different types of resources.
- Understand how to legally use resources.
Types of Resources:
Different types of resources has different rules when it comes to Copyright.
Understanding what to look for, where to find it and what is the rule in this situation, would help you use resources safely.
The following are examples for important types of resources that you usually use.
You should read copyright notices carefully.
1) Books and Reports:
you can locate notices at the back of the cover page. Notice could range from just the name of the copyright holder to more detailed information about reproduction.
2) Motion Picture: Another popular copyright notice that you always find at the beginning of any motion picture movie.
3) YouTube Videos:
YouTube has two kinds of licenses. The Standard License which would only give permission to YouTube team (besides video owner) to use the video. And there is the Creative Commons License where reuse is allowed.
Now it time to learn how to use resources without violating copyright holder rights.
Fair Use is our key to unlock limitations by Copyright laws.
Fair Use was enacted to balance users rights against owners control. According to the law; Fair Use allow users to use works for educational purposes. The law sets factors to consider whether using something is fair or not.
- The purpose and character of the use, meaning if the work will be used commercially or non-profit usages.
- The nature of the copyrighted work.
- The amount or the portion used of the copyrighted work.
- The effect of the use upon the market for, or value of, the copyrighted work.
Below is chart to guide how to use different resources according to Fair Use.
To help you better protect your rights and others, I have for simple rules for you. I call it the PQCA Rule.
P is for Permission:
Always make sure you have the copyright owner permission. Depending on the source you are using you should find information about the owner. In printed resources such as books; copyright owner name is at the back of the cover page, while in articles you can find this at the end of the article. If you are using a website you should find this information at the end of the page. You simply should use the contact information to ask the owner's permission.
Q is for Quotation:
When using others exact language, you should mark the part you are using with quotation marks . Quotation marks tells that the words in between is from someone else's work. Then you cite the work itself in your references.
C is for Cite:
By citing resources your are giving full credit of the information you are using to the original owner. You cite by recording detailed information of the source (author, title, publisher, date published and number of pages used). Special formats to record these information are available. In Oregon, The South Portland School Department has developed a guided citation tool for students to.
MLA is one of the preferred formats 
Use the easy guide to cite Citation Guide
A is for Ask:
Never hesitate to ask you teacher or school librarian if you are not sure how to use a certain source. Following rules is safe, smart and honest.
Please use this space to reflect on the ideas learned in this unit and take notes for your discussion. Unit Two Free Space