Lesson 2: Copyright Law and Graphics on the Web
In this lesson, you will read through an overview of copyright law and then
participate in a group exercise. You will be presented with a number of web design scenarios in which copyright issues come into play.
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- determine if an image or graphic is protected by copyright law
- determine whether or not copyright law would allow an image to be used on a web page under different circumstances
- Read the "What
is Copyright?" introductory section from the United States Copyright
Office . What types of images on the web are protected by copyright law?
- Review the interactive
copyright questions and answers from the Cyberbee website. How might
copyright law impact your use of graphics in web pages?
NOTE: This resource is not currently accessible to screen reader users,
or to anyone who can't use a mouse. Comparable, though less interactive, information
is available on the website 10 Big Myths about copyright explained
- Break into small groups or pairs and review the Copyright
Scenarios handout. You will be presented with a number of scenarios
and asked to decide to choose if the use is legal, illegal, or if more information
is needed. Discuss the the answers with your group and prepare to discuss
your opinion with the class.
Student Resources/Online documents
Have one student serve as the reporter from your group and summarize your findings to the instructor. Explore the additional resources on your own if you want to find out more
about copyright law.
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Permission is granted to use these materials in whole or in part for
educational, noncommercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.
This product was created with support from the National
Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education (grant
#H133D010306), and is maintained with support from
the National Science Foundation (grant #CNS-0540615). The contents do not
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