Copyright Myths

After reading the article, "Ten Copyright Permission Myths" by Attorney Lloyd J. Jassin I learned some vital information about copyright laws. The first myth that had not previously know about was myth # 2. "If I give credit I don't need permission". I have always been under the impression that citing information allowed one to use that information. According to Mr. Jassin, giving credit only means your not a plagiarist and even though the information is cited, one may still be in violation of copyright laws.

The second myth I was not previously aware of was myth # 10. According to this myth, information older than 75 years is part of the public domain and doesn't require copyright permission. Once again, Mr. Jassin informs us that unpublished and unregistered works created before 1978 may still be protected under United States copyright law.

Lastly, I learned that lawyers such as Mr. Jassin that have to resort to protecting copyright laws to eke out an existance must be very lonely. Okay, I am being a little sarcastic. :)

Ciao

Jonathan