 Have you ever stumbled upon an amazing song, photo or article online and wanted to use it in your own project? Maybe for a school or college presentation, blog post or even a YouTube video? But then you got hit with the dreaded question, is this legal? Can I use it without getting into trouble? Would you desire a world where creativity thrives, where ideas flow freely and knowledge is shared openly? This world exists and it's powered by creative commons that is CC. But what exactly is CC and why should you care? Traditional copyright often restricts how we can use creative works. CC licenses bridge this gap, offering creators a spectrum of options to share their work while retaining control. Copyright law protects creators' work but sometimes restrictions can hinder learning and sharing. Thankfully, many creators choose to offer their work under creative commons licenses. Now let's see how creative commons helps creators like us. For this purpose, we are reusing a video titled what are creative commons licenses, uploaded by the user U of G library in YouTube under CC by NCSA 4.0 license. This video will introduce you to creative commons licenses, which may copyright easier to understand. Let's say you create something. This thing could be creative like a picture of your cat or scholarly like an essay about cats. Because you are the creator of this picture or essay, copyright allows you to decide what people can do with your creation. When you are the copyright holder, people have to ask you for permission before putting your cat picture into a PowerPoint or adapting your cat essay into a movie. Getting permission can be time consuming and complicated for both the creator and the user. This is where creative commons can help. Creative commons exists to make permissions explicit and straightforward. Creative commons licenses use icons and simple language so that creators can make their intentions clear and users can be certain that their use of a work is legal. These different licenses help people understand if and how they can use, share or build on a work. This icon means that only non-commercial uses are permitted so no one can profit from using your picture. This icon means that no one can make changes to the original work such as photoshopping a dog into your cat picture. This icon means that someone can change your work but their version must be shared under the same license as yours. All creative commons licenses give credit to the original creator, preserving your reputation as a creative genius while the world engages with your work. Licenses can be attached to most things including blog posts, images, artworks, journal articles and more. We were able to use this video and present it to you because of CC licensing. Creative commons licenses and the fair use doctrine empower you to be a responsible and ethical participant in the digital world. Now, what is fair use doctrine? A similar powerful concept within academic circles is the doctrine of fair use. It permits some copying and distribution without permission of the copyright holder or payment to the same. Fair use is a legal principle in the United States that allows limited use of copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright holder. Many other countries follow almost similar conventions and we can fairly assume it to be having similar legal wordings understanding. Let us explain the idea of copyright and fair use by making use of another creative commons resource. This is an old version of the video on copyright and fair use animation by Common Sense Education uploaded on YouTube. This is a more restrictive licensing with a non-commercial and non-derivative tag hence we are using the entire video as is. Now, let's test our understanding. Here are some scenarios. Go over each of them carefully and see whether the creation done in each of these is a violation of either academic fair use or copyright licenses. Let's go through these scenarios once more and decouple the licensing part. In scenario 1, you're likely infringing as you're using a substantial portion of the work for commercial gain that is potential at revenue. In scenario 2, the lack of attribution weighs heavily against fair use. In scenario 3, depending on the amount used and purpose of your presentation, it might fall under fair use especially with attribution. Remember, fair use is complex and consulting legal resources is always advisable. However, by understanding its co-principals, you can make informed decisions about using copyrighted material responsibly, fostering creativity while respecting creators' rights. Now, let's avoid some common pitfalls. Simply copying large portions of a work. Fair use is about using transformative elements, not replicating the original. Using copyrighted material for primarily commercial purposes. If you're making money off someone else's work, it is never fair use. Claiming fair use without understanding the factors. Research and carefully consider if your use meets the criteria. Remember, fair use is complex and context dependent. If unsure, seeking legal advice is crucial to avoid copyright infringement. Here are a few very common things we tend to do in our daily life. Fair use doesn't mean free use. You can't simply claim fair use without considering the factors mentioned earlier. Changing the format doesn't automatically make it fair use. Converting a song to a ringtone doesn't magically grant permission. Non-commercial use isn't always fair. Educational purposes may be fair, but using copyrighted material for personal gain isn't. Fair use doesn't cover entire work. Taking the heart of a work, even with attribution, can still be infringement. To conclude what we just discussed, fair use empowers creative expression and knowledge sharing, but respecting copyright guidelines is essential. By understanding its purpose and limitations, you can navigate this legal terrain responsibly and ethically. So, use creatively, use responsibly and let's keep the information flowing.