ABSTRACT
We begin with an overview of the texture of copyright. What is it and why everyone, particularly creative professionals and those who work with content in the media and education—those whose job is to communicate—should have a firm footing in copyright. Aside from an understanding of principles, our goal is to impart information to help with judgment calls. Each book or article, every photograph, video, or CD raises questions that touch on copyright. Because communication is instantaneous and ever more interactive, one cannot be paralyzed by uncertainty about what content can be used to teach, to share, to exploit. So we explain the traffic lights of the law—the green light that tells you when the road is clear to “go,” the yellow light that urges “caution,” and that red bugger that hollers “hold up, there’s a problem here.”
