Copyright - Guest Lecturer - Peter Hodges

I made a similar blog post quite a while ago, with the same guest lecturer. He came back to the University this week, to once again talk about copyright. As the laws are always changing, their was new things to learn, and we all had a better idea of what questions to ask.

As a journalist you will always be creating your own copyright. Copyright exists once it is published (meaning it's available to the public.

Pieces of work that can be copyrighted include:-
A dramatic work - such as dance or mime.
Musical work - This includes the lyrics and sound.
Images - Graphics, sculptures and even lighting design can be copyrighted.

Peter gave a good example of lighting copyright. The Eiffel tower illumination at night was copyrighted in 2003 by the lighting company that made the arrangement. They might object to the commercial use of photos of the Eiffel tower(but only when it is lit).

Copyright lasts for the entire life of the author plus 70 years after their death(50 years for audio pieces).
For movies it includes the principle director, the author of the screenplay and the author of dialogue.

You can be sued for civil damages, and also breach of statute law and can be prosecuted.

Fair Dealing

It is usually safe to use for research/private study.

Fair Dealing can be used for criticism and review pieces, and also reporting current events. This covers all except photography(which must have consent).

You can safely use up to 2 minutes(aggregate) of footage from a film, when using it in a review/criticism.

Fair Deadline for a current event can be up to 30 seconds, and you can also be protected with the defence of  deleting it within 28 days.

Moral Rights

These still apply until it is no longer copyrighted.

Rights to paternity - to be acknowledged for their role.
Right to integrity - Not to have work given derogatory treatment.
If they don't want their work treated a certain way then they can refuse. (eg- might not like interpretation)
Right to be identified

One case to follow in terms of copyright is Richard O'Dwyer. He created a website called TVShack.net, which was a search engine that claims to index links to pirated media on other sites.
The student from Sheffield Hallam University. Their is currently no outcome to the case.

Another case is the recent issue with 'The Hobbit' bar in Southampton. Their was a question over copyright. Does the public believe by deception etc... if the pub is based around the franchise. Which it was, however the issue was sorted, with the pub annually paying the Hollywood company that owns the rights.

- Must pre-clear through copyright societies before prominently featuring copyrighted content.

- BBC uses around 55,000 pieces of music a week across its output.

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