Copyright and Fair Use Quiz: Test Yourself!

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Stuff Everyone Needs to Know About Copyright

Copyright has never been more important, since we now can copy and post almost anything for millions of people to see. Unfortunately, very few people understand copyright or fair use.

If you break copyright laws, you could get into real trouble: lawsuits, for example, or having your online account suspended and your webpages deleted, or getting kicked out of school or losing a job. Plus, ignoring copyright harms whoever created the content you're "borrowing:" it's harder for them to earn money on their work if you're giving away free samples, so to speak!

So it's good to understand copyright, both to protect yourself, and because it's the right thing to do.

The following quiz will teach you the basics of copyright and fair use.

More than the basics, I can't teach you, because I'm not a lawyer. But I'll point you to some resources that will help you answer more challenging copyright questions. In fact, before we start the quiz, let me point you to one old but excellent webpage that will clear up several copyright myths.

Copyright and Fair Use Quiz: Test Yourself!

The following quiz applies to US copyright law (which is where Squidoo is based, so US copyright laws apply here):

Another Quick Quiz on Plagiarism / Copyright

by chemknitsblog

I like this 10-question copyright/plagiarism quiz: the questions are clear, straightforward, and a little easier than those on my quiz. And it's good reinforcement.
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Recommended Links to Answer Your Copyright Questions

I'm not a lawyer. So use these resources for the tough questions...don't ask me!

Stanford Copyright & Fair Use - What Is Fair Use?
Stanford University Library has a VERY good page on fair use and copyright. Also see their Copyright FAQ, including "How Long Does Copyright Last?" (generally 70 years after author's death, but there's some nitpicky exceptions. Pre-1923 is definitely out of copyright.)
How to Avoid Paraphrase Plagiarism
Plagiarism and copyright violation are two different issues, but I wanted to mention paraphrase plagiarism because it's such a common mistake.
Taking or Using Photographs of Copyrighted Material, Trademarks and People
A very clear page on copyright and images, including taking photos that have trademarked or copyrighted objects in the background.
U.S. Copyright Office - Frequently Asked Questions
The best source of copyright information is from official government sites. Unfortunately, they're sometimes hard to decipher.
Website Copyright: Great Site All About Copyright
This is a huge but excellent site. Links at the bottom of the left sidebar point to good guides to copyright and fair use. Also, this site covers news of specific copyright and fair use lawsuits. I often figure out, "am I allowed to do this?" by looking for real-world copyright cases similar to what I want to do. For example...
Tiger Woods -- The Use of Celebrity Images In Works of Art
Here's a good analysis of a court case discussing the right of celebrities to control their image ("publicity rights") versus first amendment rights of free expression.

Resources to Help You Avoid Copyright Problems

I Can't Help With Writing, But I Can Help You With Images

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How did you do?

Note: Copyright is tricky. Chances are that I won't be able to answer your harder questions, or else I'll have to spend hours hunting through the resources I listed above so I'm sure before giving you the right answer. Usually, I don't have time to do that. But hopefully this page has given you some starting points to help YOU find the answer to copyright questions!

  • PCInkcouk May 16, 2012 @ 8:23 am | delete
    Question 9 was confusing. It starts "If I take a photo" - that can mean taking the picture with your own camera or it could mean taking the photo from an internet website. You might want to rephrase the question.
  • Greekgeek May 16, 2012 @ 6:20 pm | delete
    Oops! Good catch. I've changed "take" to "snap". Thanks!
  • lclchors Apr 26, 2012 @ 9:54 pm | delete
    I did pretty good
  • gunsock Oct 31, 2011 @ 5:44 pm | delete
    Great information, entertainingly put across. Thank you!
  • Nancy Springer Sep 26, 2011 @ 7:22 pm | delete
    How do you email the quiz? It's asking for an email and security word, but there's no place to enter that??
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Greekgeek

Storyteller, former Latin teacher, student of mythology and the ancient world: I've worn many hats, but always I've dabbled in computers and the web.

Until...
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