I find copyright laws to be occasionally frustrating. I liked our conversation in class about the details of copyright on the internet, but in some cases it left me with more questions. How do I know what the public domain is? If I do a Google image search, and use a picture I find is that okay because you've put the picture in the public domain? Can I cite it and be done?
I've always wondered how a copyright is obtained, as well. My sister-in-law wrote a message on her blog that all of her images were copyright so you couldn't copy and print them, but is that real? She owns the photos because she took them, but by placing them on a public blog she makes them public domain, correct?
As a student, and as a history student, every idea or fact that we use has to be cited. History professors are all about citations. I think this is a good because you are able to differentiate between the author's original ideas and the already known content. It's a hassle to properly cite with the commas, periods, and colons, but I understand its uses. I just don't like having to find a citation source for knowing the year of the War of 1812.
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Just because something is viewable in a public place, such as the internet, it does not mean that it is in the public domain. P.D. is what does not have a copyright. Someone can designate their works as P.D. or a copyright can expire and thus the work enters the P.D. If you find an image on the internet and want to use it in an educational setting, cite the reference and you should be fine. Anytime you are doing something for profit, you just can't use a Google Search. You have to secure the copyright or get permission for what you want to use.
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