Copyright Presentation Response

One thing in Jason Hardin’s presentation that was new to me was the factors of the Fair Use policy. One factor is the nature of the work being produced. Some works are more commercial than others, so it makes a difference as to what kind of information is being copied. Another factor is the purpose of the reproduction. If it is reproduced for a critique, review, or comments, it is allowed. A third factor is the amount of material being reproduced. If it is merely a chapter of a book, it may be allowed to be reproduced, but reproducing an entire book is a copyright infringement. The last factor is how the reproduction affects the rights holder. It cannot affect the ability of the copyright holder to make a profit. None of these factors trumps another, so a violation of one of these will not be justified by another. Some people think that copyright laws and this fair use policy are too strict and punishing, but big businesses want to keep them because they make a lot of money from them. I think that it is too strict of a system and that Creative Commons is a better alternative.