Alternatives to Copyright

Copyleft

Copyleft is a form of licensing and can be used to maintain copyright conditions for works such as computer software, documents, and art. 

Under Copyleft, 

an author may give every person who receives a copy of a work permission to reproduce, adapt or distribute it and require that any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the same licensing agreement.

Copyleft licenses (for software) require that information necessary for reproducing and modifying the work must be made available to recipients of the executable. The source code files will usually contain a copy of the license terms and acknowledge the author(s).

Copyleft type licenses are a novel use of existing copyright law to ensure a work remains freely available.

Creative Commons

Founded in 2001 by Lawrence Lessig, creative commons is a non-profit organisation that provides a legal framework to allow people to: 

Share

Remix

Reuse

Creative Commons licences provide a simple , standardised alternative to the “All rights reserved” Paradigm of traditional copyright.

Unlike the “All Rights Reserved” licence, there are different layers or levels of licence that the owner can apply

- ATTRIBUTION BY CC BY

This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. 

This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.

- ATTRIBUTION ShareAlike CC BY-SA

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. 

This license is often compared to “copyleft” free and open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use.  Used By Wikipedia

- ATTRIBUTION - NoDerivs CC BY-ND

This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial CC BY-NC

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial- ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial- NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND

This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.

Reflective Practice

“Reflective practice is learning through examining what we think happened on any occasion, and how we think others perceived the event and us, opening up our practice to the scrutiny of others.” 

Bolton, 2010 
Reflective Practice. 

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) Chinese Philosopher

Contemporary understanding of reflective practice as described by Donald Schön in 1996 as,

“Reflective practice involves thoughtfully considering your own experiences as you make the connection between knowledge and practice, under the guidance of an experienced professional within your discipline.”

It is a way of looking at oneself critically to identify what we are doing, how well we are doing it, and where we sit within our communities of practice.

Reflection is: To learn from both experience and theory to deepen understanding. 

Understanding Copyright

Copyright gives the owner, creator or author, publisher the right to control the way that their material can be used.

All works are automatically covered by the Copyright, Design and UK Patents act of 1998.

Materials that can be copyrighted:
Film 
Games 
Animation 
Music 
Computer Apps 
Drawings and Illustrations

What can you Copyright?

Basically anything that has been produced as the result of 

independent intellectual effort, or as the result of a collaborative effort.

This includes stories, scripts, lyrics and other literary works

Content produced and hosted in the UK is covered by copyright

You should not: 

Copying 

Adapting 

Distributing (electronically or otherwise) 

Public Transmission (including on demand, live or broadcast) 

Public Performance (busking etc)

Renting 

Lending

without prior, or express permission

Authors also have the right to object is their work is mutilated, defamed or distorted in any way.

Who Owns Copyright?

The author or creator in music, literary or works of drama.

If a film is made the principal director and/or producer own it if it’s a joint effort.

However, if a film for example is made whilst at work the company (employer) would own it.

Illustration - the Creator or Company/Employer

Video Game – Company or Employer or (Creator if an Indie Developer)

Sound or Musical piece – Creator, Publisher/ Producer or Broadcaster if it’s to be distributed or transmitted.

Copyright can be transferred, or sold to another party. 

Buying a game, or a painting doesn’t mean you own the copyright. Those rights need legally transferring

Duration varies, but generally for literary and dramatic, artistic and photographic works

Life + 70 years

Copyright - Getting Permission to use

You can contact the owner directly (if known) or contact the organisation or company who represents them eg record company or in the PRS (Performing Rights Society) for music.

Claiming Copyright

I am the author of a piece of work, how do I claim copyright?

If you are in the UK it’s automatic.

If the work is displayed internationally (eg a website)

Mark the website with: ©YourName and Year of Publication

Copyright and the Internet.

International Laws are often different to the UK. 

Mark up the footer of your webpages with the 

©YourName and Year information. 

Any legal action would take place in the country where the infringement took place. 

You should also be aware of some of the terms and conditions of social networking and image hosting sites as they may claim ownership over anything you may do. 

Don’t let this prevent you from sharing your work

This is a complex area in law and if in doubt seek advice from a professional in this area.

Klasky Csupo

I decided to do my PPP presentation on the animation studio 'Klasky Csupo'. 
This is becuase I've been a fan of their animations (usually shown on Nickelodeon in the 90's/early 00's) for as long as I can remember.

- Founded by artist/producer Arlene Klasky, and animator Gábor Csupo in 1982.

- Initially known for its work on logo designs, feature film trailers, TV show titles, promo and

  spot ID's for a wide variety of clients, in the process earning a reputation as the industry's  most imaginative and innovative studio.

- From this, they landed their big break when James L. Brooks of Gracie Films hired the studio to produce the title sequence for The Tracey Ullman Show. In addition to this, Klasky Csupo was given the opportunity to produce a series of one-minute cartoons called The Simpsons.

  

Before researching for my presentation, I was unaware that Klasky Csupo had a part in the making of The Simpsons shorts. However, looking at the pilot for Rugrats and an early short of The Simpsons, I can really see the similarities in the style of animation. Both seem pretty jagged with their movements, and the facial expressions/way the characters move also show big similarities. 
  
- Once Rugrats had been aired in the early 90’s, Nickelodeon released Klasky-Csupo's second Nicktoon series, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
During this time Klasky Csupo ended production on Rugrats, due to the fact that they thought they were going to be cancelled after all the 65 episodes were aired. 

 

I've always thought the design of Klasky Csupo's characters are interesting. Their facial features don't really have very humanised features at all (typically with their huge/freakishly small eyes & mouths usually located on their chins) yet the personalities of the characters still make them very relatable as a person. 

 

One Klasky Csupo animation that really stood out for me was As Told By Ginger. It tackled some pretty hard-hitting stuff in it's 60 episodes (divorce, bullying, heartbreak etc) and I think it was a very suitable cartoon for under 12's (or even over, to be honest I still occasionally watch it!) to see as it may have even helped them out with their own similar problems. It's a shame Nickelodeon doesn't really show anything like this anymore and have just gone down the route of having every programme centred around toilet humour.

After not hearing much from divorcees Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupo since the early 2000's, they've started to create comics and webseries featuring the famous (yet creepy) robot logo.


My presentation on this to the class went pretty well I think. There weren't many questions but I think I gave them the gist of the company.

Effective Presentation Techniques

I think pretty much everyone has slight nerves before doing a presentation, so this was quite helpful for getting into the right frame of mind before doing one. 

Effective Evaluation Guide

Presentations are about effectively sharing your ideas, thought, concepts, progress or the resolution of a project with others, it is an opportunity to receive helpful constructive feedback from both your peers and tutors.

The presenter should know his or her audience, and assume that they themselves barely know anything about whatever it is he or she is about to present, and hence they can commence with informing them about it. The presenter should begin with explaining who they are, what they are doing, how they got there… OR plan to get there, and conclusively how they are planning to move forward from there.

A presentation is NOT about why the presentation sounds or looks like (While the presenter should of course give off a good impression to his or her audience, it is always best to be one's self and show the utmost confidence). Hence the overall presentation should never be stressed over, as long as one is prepared, and knows their subject, as well as know how to keep it simple, all should go well.

On the visual aspect, clip art should be avoided, proper imagery should be used when illustrating a point when necessary. Obviously during a presentation, one should not present too much text for their audience to read, or for they themselves to decipher and summarise right then and there. Each slide is considered important and should hence be communicated clearly.

Always consider how large the presentation area will be and make sure your text size is readable for those sitting at the far back (Consider the 8ft or 2.45m rule).

Rest assured that there is nothing to fear, for the audience is there for they want to listen. Be enthusiastic about whatever it is you wish to present to them, be persuasive, expressive, do not show your anxiety, better yet, try your hardest to push it far back. Even if a mistake is made right in the middle of that presentation, calmly correct yourself and carry on.

To summarise, know your subject, audience, yourself, prepare yourself, your script (With cue cards post its, or the notes feature on presentation softwares). Don't leave it until the last minute, prepare it early, practice it early, arrive and set it up early and finally, try to enjoy yourself.

10 Things to Avoid During Presentations

1. Avoid Jargon (Only use it when chatting casually with your nerdiest of buddies)
2. Make sure the type used on your slides are big and legible (Again consider the 8ft file)
3. Present only the essentials, keep things simple
4. Try to make sure every slide has a point
5. Titles help and getting a point across (Even faster than labels do)
6. Understand what type of presenter you are, don't try to copy others, be yourself
7. Try to avoid throwing in random charts and tables
8. Avoid clipart
9. Keep your presentation solidly structured
10. Try avoid using too many bullet points (At most try to use just three)

Presentation Anxiety Tips

Try exercising a little before a presentation, just to get the blood flowing, exercising has proven a positive effect on the nerves, lasting up to 12 hours, so just make sure you go for a walk or run within 12 hours of your presentation.

Rehearse, don't memorise, there is a difference. Rehearsing implies that you are prepared and confident. Memorising implies that you are dependent, unconfident, and are controlled by your talk (Which you are not).

Show that you care and appreciate your audience, and they will in return appreciate you, especially since you are trying to share with them something you consider interesting.