Having found myself recently needing to refer to copyright law in some of my own freelance dealings, I found last week's lecture to be very informative and reaffirming that I was in the right in protecting myself from exploitation. Mr. Astrachan not only refreshed my memory on certain areas of copyright law, but was able to shed light into the areas I have felt a little less confident about.
To me, the most important piece of information that Mr. Astrachan provided was a clearer picture on what the requirements are to be protected under copyright law. His definitions for "Originality," "Authorship" and "Fixation" were all concise and easy to understand. In addition, he provided us with valuable information on damages due to copyright infringement.
I never realized how important copyright registration was until Mr, Astrachan pointed out that statutory damages (which can be up to $150,000 per piece of infringed work) can only be collected if a copyright is registered with the copyright office. Well worth the time and money involved, considering the possible payoff if your work is exploited.
I also found the portions on copyright marking and Fair Use to be very informative, as they have come up frequently in regards to work done within the Pub Design program. I found the criteria for fair use to be very interesting, as I would never have even considered the amount of the copyrighted work used to be of consequence. But, given the example Mr. Astrachan gave in class involving the filming of Mr. Zucchini's cannon act, I realize that it truly is of vital importance, especially if the use takes the "heart and soul" of the work.
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