Copyright and Licensing

Part 1: Play Licensing

MTI Shows is a publishing company that owns the rights to many popular plays. Visit their website at http://www.mtishows.com and answer the following questions: 1. What are the seven steps you need to follow if youd like permission to perform one of the shows? a. Choose a Show- If you dont know what show you want to present, MTI will allow you to borrow up to three titles for three weeks b. Apply for a Performance License- The application must be made in writing prior to fees being quoted, and a license being issued. Obtaining written confirmation of availability from MTI is crucial before planning the production, or announcing a season. The processing time for an application varies between two days to two weeks depending on the show chosen and geographical restrictions. c. Pay the necessary licensing fees- Once a license is received, it should be filled out, signed and returned to MTI with fees and the security deposit within six weeks. Since a performance license offer is only valid for six weeks, if not returned, show availability and fees that have been quoted may be withdrawn. If dates need to be changed for the production or any other details, MTI should be notified in writing immediately since changes can affect the conditions and availability of the license. The importance of obtaining a license for all royalty-bearing performances is high; the penalties for violating Federal Copyright Law are very serious. d. Obtain materials- The materials sent by the company are the only authorized materials to be used for rehearsals and performances, this includes: scripts, vocal books, piano-conductor scores, and orchestra parts e. Rehearse- Any changes made to make the show work in a particular theatre must be granted by prior permission to the show, otherwise any changes violate the authors rights under federal copyright law f. Attract an Audience- MTI has obtained the right to license certain original logos for use in conjunction with your production if there is not enough funding to create new designs for each production of a new show.

Copyright and Licensing

g. Have a great production!- Best ideas come from our customers and we enjoy getting pictures, posters and any programs from your production, including feedback. 2. What information is required on the license application form? Name and Address of Producing Organization, Phone and Fax numbers, Name of Show, Dates of Desired Performance(s), Number of performances, Name of Theatre/Auditorium, Ticket Prices (be specific, include all discounts)

Part 2: Copyright Myths

Go to the website http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html and answer the following questions: 1. Write a 2-3 sentence summary of each of the myths about copyrighting. a) If it doesnt have a copyright notice, its not copyrighted Prior to April 1, 1989 this was true, but now almost everything created privately and originally has a copyright and is protected, regardless of whether or not it has a notice saying so. Copyrighting applies to pictures too; magazines and pictures from the internet should not be posted, especially if the source is unknown. b) If I dont charge for it, its not a violation False, if the commercial value of the property is given away or violated, serious damages can occur. In the United States there are exceptions for individuals to copy music, but to copy music from a site such as Napster is not recognized as personal copying; for fair use of these rights, sometimes money is involved. c) If its posted to Usenet its in the public domain False, anything posted in the public domain is not modern and creative unless the owner explicitly puts it in the public domain. d) My posting was just fair use A posting that is fair use is only classified as such when making a commentary, parody, news reporting, research and education about copyrighted works without the permission of the author. The copyright law isnt impeding on the right for ones own works but the ability to expose other peoples work.

Copyright and Licensing

e) If you dont defend your copyright you lose itSomebody has that name copyrighted! Names and short words cannot be copyrighted, but are trademarked which can be weakened or lost if not defended. f) If I make up my own stories, but base them on another work, my new work belongs to me According to the U.S. Copyright law any work based or derived from another work is exclusively the property of the owner of the original work. g) They cant get me, defendants in court have powerful rights! In copyright suits the judge or jury will decide which side and set of evidence is more believable, with a variation in rules based on the type of infringement. h) Oh, so copyright violation isnt a crime or anything? In the 1990s a USA commercial copyright violation involving more than 10 copies and a profit over $2500 was a felony. i) It doesnt hurt anybodyin fact its free advertising Without consent from the owner for free advertising, it is not legal to repost something. It is not up to you to decide whether or not the owner would be okay with it and if it would be a negative or positive impact. j) They e-mailed me a copy, so I can post it Having a copy of someones work doesnt give you the authority to post a full copy unless previously agreed upon. And if someone makes a posting of a non-secret email of yours that has minimal commercial value and no copyright notice, chances are no damage will be done if you attempt to sue them. k) So I cant ever reproduce anything? The purpose of a copyright is for two main reasons: to protect the authors right to have commercial benefit from their work and to protect the authors right to how their work is used. If a work is unregistered and doesnt have much commercial value then the work will have little protection, but actual damages to pieces of work ends up being money lost by the author and can result to a court trial.

Part 3: Creative Commons License

Copyright and Licensing

Visit the website http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/. This is the actual text of the Creative Commons license. 1. In your own words, what are people allowed to do and not allowed to do under the creative commons license? Under the creative commons license, people are allowed to share the works of others just as long as they dont claim it to be their own, there is no profit from it, and no altercations are made to the original work. However, if there is a permission waiver from the author, these conditions can be waived.

Part 4: In Your Own Words

In your own words: 1. How has the copyright law benefited society and the economy? What would you change about the copyright law, given the rapid growth of the internet? With the copyright law in place it is beneficial to authors and artists and producers who have their work published, to have their work protected by this law so, that they can gain profit from their well-crafted pieces of work; which in turn helps the economy have a better handling of the money that goes through the system. Since the internet is constantly advancing it is hard to keep track of all the original work that comes from its author. Something that I would change about the copyright law is that when a piece of work leaves the hands of the copyright holder and is floating around cyberspace, that people couldnt be charged with illegally reposting a piece of work, because the copyright has been lost.