The cost of copyright confusion can affect every stage of the development and delivery process. Copyright law can be intimidating, even though its intent is to encourage creativity. Break down the walls that prevent you or your organization from using fabulous free resources because you aren’t sure whether your use will infringe someone else’s rights. Make fair use your friend. Access thousands of free photos, videos, music, and motion graphics.

In this mini-workshop, you’ll learn about copyright essentials through an entertaining and easy-to-understand snapshot of the law. You’ll discover how to find and use free media properly; how to protect your own work; and how to apply best practices in fair use. You’ll also learn more about where to find free multimedia you can safely use in your projects thanks to public domain, Creative Commons, and open access–licensed works. Use sites that already say “Yes” to use.
In this session, you will learn:
– About copyright law and fairuse basics
– How to find and use free online media
– About Creative Commons licenses and which are most accommodating
– How to protect your work and avoid being sued

Barbara Waxer is a copyright and media educator, author, and trainer who teaches online for the Seattle Film Institute and in the Media Arts department at Santa Fe Community College. Her current day gig is as a Senior Technical Writer in Digital Transformation for Sandia National Laboratories.

She has authored over two dozen textbooks and digital products on copyright, finding and using media, Adobe, and Microsoft software, and writing for the web. Her book, Internet Surf and Turf Revealed: The Essential Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Finding Media, co-authored with University of New Mexico law professor Marcia Baum, won the TEXTY Textbook Excellence Award and the New England Book Show Award. Barbara thrives when developing best practices for users and creators of digital content.