Who owns a creation? Copyright
When you draw a picture or write a story, it is yours. Intellectual property is an invention, a creation or an idea that belongs to the person who made it, and the law protects it from being copied. Copyright covers writing, pictures, sound, video and material on web pages. So you may not simply copy a singer’s song or a photographer’s picture and say it is yours. Three cases are different. First, Creative Commons: the creator has given permission to share the work, often with a rule such as ‘say who made it’. Second, material in a free online library for people in Egypt is already approved for use. Third, public domain: no permission is needed. The book says Egypt counts a work as public domain when its creator has been dead for at least 50 years; other countries use different numbers. Even when you are allowed to use a work, write down where it came from. That shows respect for the creator, and it is honest.
| Kind of work (invented) | Permission? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| a new song by a singer | ask the owner | copyright protects it |
| a picture its maker says anyone may share | already given | Creative Commons |
| an article in a free online library for people in Egypt | already approved | approved for use |
| a story whose writer died 80 years ago | not needed | public domain in Egypt (50 years or more) |
| Years since the creator died | Public domain in Egypt? |
|---|---|
| 20 | no |
| 50 | yes |
| 80 | yes |
Permission sort. Make six paper cards for pretend works: a new cartoon; a picture its maker says anyone may share; an article from a free online library for people in Egypt; a story whose writer died 90 years ago; a friend’s song; a photo from a magazine. Sort them into three piles: ask permission, already free to share, public domain. Write the reason on each card.