Copyright and Fair Use

On a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest I would rate myself a 3 when it comes to copyrights issues. According to the text book copyright is a form of intellectual property that gives the creator exclusive rights for a period of time. It's also the laws that protect the interests of those who creates work, whether text, music, artwork, software, or any other creative project.  When it comes to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University the Copyright and Fair Use policy is a very serious matter. There are plenty of teachers on the campus that take plagiarism very seriously, and if you hand in a paper that was not properly cited your grade will be effected. Back in High School teachers really do not pay any attention to these specific guidelines unless they are an English Teacher. I have seen plenty of teachers break these rules, and have not been penalized. When a teacher does not lead by example the students will be at fault for it. When you are exposed to the Fair Use Policy the guidelines are very clear. The three guidelines that I feel are relevant will be listed in chronological order. The first issue is that you should not copy someone else's work in place it in your paper. It is very important that teacher teach children how to sight properly. Teaching students to be creative in within their own work. Another issues is the amount of usage that teachers use of a specific source. Often times teachers will play more than 30 seconds of music. They also play a good variety of lengthy clips, as well. Teachers should set an example for the students and follow the rules, as well as they would want their students to follow their guidelines. My last and final rule is believe that everything you find online, in a book, or wherever you find your information is copyrighted and protected. If it is not your work be sure to give the proper credit to the owner. With these rules in place it will stop a lot of illegal activities that take place in the classroom.