|
WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?
• Copyright is a protection afforded under law for various
types of creative works. A work is copyrightable if it is an original
work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.
• Copyrightable works include literary, musical or dramatic
works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; choreographic
works and pantomimes; sound recordings; and architectural works.
• The owner of a copyright in a particular work has the
exclusive right to copy, display, perform, distribute, and create
a derivative version of the work. This means that you may not
duplicate, show or perform a copyrighted work unless it is expressly
allowed under the Copyright Act or you have the prior permission
of the copyright holder.
• Materials within copyright is anything that been published
within 70 years of the author’s death.
What is Copyright Infringement?
|
Copyright infringement occurs when you copy,
display, perform, distribute or create a derivative version of
a copyrightable work without the permission of the copyright holder.
How does Copyright Law affect information I obtain off the Internet?
• Copyright law covers works in both traditional and new
media, including digital media. Copyrightable materials are often
available on the Internet without any indication of their copyrighted
status. As a rule of thumb, you should assume that everything
you find on the Internet is copyrighted, unless otherwise labeled.
• An image you have downloaded from the Internet, as well
as a video or musical performance is almost certainly subject
to copyright protection. When you download these works, transfer
them to a disk or other medium, or send them to a friend, you
are infringing on the rights of the copyright holder.
• Trafficking in such material without the permission of
the copyright holder, then, violates copyright law. This includes
unauthorized music file sharing over the Internet.
|
Why is it important for a Student to be Aware of Copyright
Law?
Copyright infringement is prohibited by the Jamaican Copyright Act.
Anyone who infringes another's copyright in a creative work is subject
to liability, and could be required to pay large sums in damages.
|
Copying that is prohibited.
• You cannot copy to create,
replace, or substitute for anthologies, compilations, or collective
works.
• You cannot copy to avoid purchase |
|
What Can I Copy Legally?
Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, you can copy for
private study, research, or scholarship (You must not pass it
on to anyone else)
• One chapter of a book
• One article from an issue of a journal
• One short story or poem in an anthology (maximum 10 pages)
|
|
faq's 
press
room 
