Copyright

Jun 25, 2012

Hello,

I want to use a concept similar to "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" for an online quiz, but am concerned that I could be infringing on copyrights etc. Has anyone done something similar and had any such issues? 

The course would be for internal employees only and not 'sold' externally; the course would look different from the real thing, but features such as "life lines" would be included.

Any help/advice much appreciated.

Cheers,

Greg

13 Replies
Bruce Graham

Hi Greg,

Have a look at this page - people do very similar things.

I am not a lawyer, however I think that if you maintain the "spirit" of the concept, (rather than "Phone a Friend" perhaps "Ask an Expert"?), you call it something else, and it's for internal only, that you will be OK.

Bruce

Jill McNair

Hi Greg,

I think that if you change it like Bruce suggests, you are creating a "derivative work"  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about that. 

Also, here's a site that provides a "fair use" checklist if you want to see what the law says: http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/fair-use/fair-use-checklist/.    

Jill

Belen Casado

The links provided by Jill are very interesting.

When I read Greg's question, I was sure that some of the e-learning companies I've worked with, had not respected some copyright laws.

The example was exactly the same: using TV quizzes to engage students. The names and context were changed, though you could easily recognize the quizzes.

I think that, if "derivative work" includes such thing as The Mona Lisa with a moustache, then, for sure our quizzes are also included.

Hope that helps.

Mauro Gaiotto

Hi everyone!
I resume this topic because of some of my concern about copyright.
I work in Italy, so I guess most of you don't know how it works here. Well, so am I...
It's quite confusing and ambiguous, but I was wondering if there's some kind of "universal rule" when dealing with external contents like links, videos and photos.

Moreover, do you know where I can find videos that can be freely included in my projects?

Thanks in advance!

Mauro

Bruce Graham

Videos of what?

Most (good) content is owned by someone, somewhere.

Yes - there is a lot of, and increasing amount of creative commons work out there - however - the law on usage is different in every country, and for every audience.

Best answer I can give is speak to an Italian Copyrights Lawyer, or buy media where you know you are legally entitled to use it.

Bruce

Mauro Gaiotto

Thank you for your answer Bruce!
Actually, I do not need specific videos, mostly I work on green jobs, renewable energy and nature related project.
I was just wondering if there's a place where I can find free videos, something like morguefile.com

Of course I know that if I want good content... I have to pay someone, somewhere


Thanks for the advice!

Wendy Schweitzer

Hello Everyone,

I also have a copyright question. I downloaded one of the eLearning templates and changed it to fit a Great Lakes Conservation eLearning program that I am developing in Rise for the Master Naturalist Program. I made changes in Storyline and then published it to 360 and then uploaded it to Rise. How do I give credit for the original person who created it?  I changed everything except the sound. It was star wars themed and I changed it to a charged fishing pole. ;-) Please let me know. Thanks! 

Sarah Hodge

Great question, Wendy! Are you referring to the templates in our Downloads hub? If so, crediting isn't necessary, but if you'd like to attribute you can link to the page. You'll also find the specifics about downloadable assets in our Terms of Use here, and here's the relevant piece for you:

(a) Downloadable Assets. An example of a downloadable asset is a PowerPoint template that Articulate provides. You will have a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, terminable right to use, reproduce, display, and distribute downloadable assets in a commercial work (including the right to showcase it as part of your portfolio). All other rights are reserved. Accordingly, you may not distribute, modify, or host downloadable assets as your own content (or permit any third party to do so).

Simply put, you can use the templates in your course creation, you can't resell the templates as your own work. 

Wendy Schweitzer

Thanks, Sarah!

I found the template in eLearning heroes, and I was able to download it. I think it might have been either in the hub or in the eLearning Heroes challenges. I was going to put in the reference Articulate eLearning Heroes and then provide the link.

Best regards,

Wendy Schweitzer
Instructional Designer
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension