Copyright & Fair Use

What is Copyright? 

Copyright is a law that:

1. Gives the owner of a written document, musical composition, book, picture, or other creative work, the right to decide what other people can do with it. 

2. Makes it easier for authors to make money by selling their works. 

Because of copyright, a work can only be copied if the owner of the copyright gives permission. In more serious cases, a person who copies a work that is protected under copyright could be arrested, fined, or even go to prison. This is called plagiarism.

What is Fair Use?

The idea of "fair use" was added to most copyright laws to make sure that it would be OK do to this, as long as only a little bit of someone's work is used. To be safe, you should ALWAYS give credit for anything you use.

Information From: 

“Copyright Facts for Kids.” Kiddle.co, 3 Feb. 2023, https://kids.kiddle.co/Copyright.

“Fair Use Facts for Kids.” Kiddle.co, 9 Aug. 2024, https://kids.kiddle.co/Fair_use.