A Fair(y) Use Tale

It comes around in almost every PR class or textbook. Usually in the chapter about legal issues, but sometimes sharing space with ethics.

Copyright law.

As dull as this subject can be, it is vital for PR practitioners to be aware of. Knowing these restrictions can help save your company thousands or even millions of dollars in legal fees. And of course, doing the right thing never hurts your image in the long run.

Because there are so many free use provisions that allow certain copyright infringements for educational purposes, we sometimes forget about the rules that are in place. But you won't be in school forever. Hopefully. So start mastering this topic now.

When talking about copyright, one of the first organizations that pops to mind is Disney, a company that is intensely fierce about going after people who try to use its movies, images and logos.

And rightly so. If I'd created some of the most well-known movies and characters of all time, I'd want to protect them too.

This video takes snippets from a bunch of Disney movies (we're talking one word at a time), and tries to teach about copyright, fair use and the public domain. Being a Disney junkie, I was highly amused.

Laugh all you want. But more importantly, keep copyright in mind. You and your company will live happily ever after.