Appendix III:

A few words on copyright (all rights reserved!)

     One of the quickest ways to circumvent copyright ambiguity is to collect media that is original or for which you have clear permission to use.  Many digital stories are for in-house development and might not find their way to the public.  Copyright for these types of projects is not an urgent issue, but it is prudent to consider these questions before embarking on a digital story: 

• Do you wish to go public (television or public viewings) with the story?
• Do you stand to make money by showing the movie?
• Do you hope to hand out this product to the public?

     If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then you must prioritize securing rights to use any media that is not an original creation by the production team. 

     In addition, it is necessary to set up permission with subjects captured when there is intent to use their footage in a public production.  Appendix III contains sample consent forms. The consent form should state the captured media will be used in a future production and a short description of how it will be used. 

Please review these considerations with your legal advisor.

Take license into your own hands
     The Creative Commons (CC) is a license structure developed by a nonprofit so that academics, media outlets, and individuals can freely publish and use creative works with a concise license structure.  As a content developer, you adhere to the CC license and follow the conditions for using, copying, or distributing material.  If you use CC, read their terms and conditions carefully and attribute credit for all licensed media you use.

Resources:
http://creativecommons.org/
http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/

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