Thing 13: copyright and creative commons

1/16/11
I first read the comic book about copyright and learned that work (music, writing, video) before 1923 is free to use. I'm not sure how Ansel Adams works in because I'm fairly certain that his work is copyrighted. Perhaps a license has protected his work and heirs have been diligent. Since 1923, the gist is this: copyright used to last 14 years for all creative works. Today it is something like 70 years after death of artist or 95 years if you are a corporation. Copyright can get you into trouble (cell phone ringtones with copyrighted music can't be heard/used in movies unless permission/$ exchanged). Exceptions are if the use is a parody. Some documentaries get around it by presenting topics that are for the public good (Michael Moore).

I understand creative commons and will certainly choose material from this pool when I/we can.

What I want to know are the ins and outs of using copyrighted material for classroom use. We site the author/creator in a formal bibliography way - is this enough? If work doesn't leave the school setting, at what point do teachers cross the copyright line. I'm not sure I know.