Appendix E
Copyright Law and the Visual
and Performing Arts
The responsible use of resources, always an important issue, has particularly
strong implications for the visual and performing arts. When working in the
arts, students have the opportunity to interact with a variety of media that may
include books, art prints, artifacts, videos, electronic media, performances, and
plays. Ethical behavior in regard to the use of this information and information
technology is one of the nine information literacy standards for student learn-
ing outlined in Information Power.^1 An indicator of the ethical behavior stan-
dard is that students understand the concept of copyright and apply it.
Copyright protects the original expression of ideas and safeguards original
works of art, literature, music, films, broadcasts, and computer programs from
copying and other uses. Students must be informed about the basic purpose of
copyright, including fair-use exceptions, so that they will respect and comply
with the law. Copying a work without obtaining permission may appear to be
an easy and convenient solution to an immediate problem. However, such un-
authorized copying may violate the rights of the author or publisher of the
copyrighted work and may be contrary to the academic mission to teach respect
for ideas and for the intellectual property of those who express those ideas.
Copyright law continues to evolve. For questions that are not answered in
this material, some helpful Web sites cited at the end of this appendix can pro-
vide answers to a variety of questions.
The following summary of copyright law includes information developed by
Mary Hutchings Reed and Debra Stanek for the American Library Associa-
tion. Mary Hutchings Reed is a partner in the law firm of Sidley and Austin,
Chicago, and counsel to the American Library Association. Debra Stanek is a
graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. The summary also includes
information provided by Carol Simpson of the University of Texas.(^1) Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. Chicago: American Library Association, 1998.