Tag: Creativity

An Idea Worth Sharing

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of TED talks.  I’m also a big fan of Dan Pink’s Book A Whole New Mind.

For those of you who don’t like to read much… (well, first, start reading more), but in the mean time.  Watch this:

Practical (c) Fair Use Tips

I haven’t been blogging a lot lately because I’ve been focusing my writing time on my next book, working title: The Secrets of Creative Business. Yesterday I posted a tweet that I was working on the section of the book covering copyright “Fair Use” and was asked by a Facebook friend to share some practical tips.

Here are a few practical hints:

1. Always ask for permission if you’re using someone’s content.
2. If you don’t get permission, use a minimum of content from anyone else.
3. Give credit for what you use.
4. This is the big one: ADD value to the content you’re using from other people by examining it (criticism – see below) and applying their ideas and/or expression to your audience’s situation filtered through your expertise.

If you do this, you won’t have to lose a lot of sleep over what you’ve used because you will be making a great argument that you’re actually building the marketability of the other person’s work through your use of their content (see factor 4 below).

If you’re ripping someone’s content for its obvious stupidity, then be a bit more careful and talk with your lawyer.  🙂

Just in case you want to read the actual copyright fair use statute:

TITLE 17 > CHAPTER 1 > § 107
§ 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

  1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
  3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

Free Copyright Webinar Tuesday, Jan. 27th 3pm Eastern

I’ll be conducting a FREE webinar on Copyright Law tomorrow at 3:00pm EASTERN.  The session will be tailored to authors, but applicable to anyone in creative fields.

This is where creativity and business overlap. If you’re in a creative industry, you really need to be familiar with this stuff.

Just go HERE: http://xiosoftpresenter.com/?eventid=5793384

You should be able to use the same link to review the session if you miss the live webinar.

This is hosted by Morgan James Publishing as a service to creative people everywhere.  For access to the entire back-list of GREAT tele-seminar files click here.

Opportunity from Crisis Article in CoBiz Magazine

The U.S. Labor Department recently reported that our economy shed 2.6 million jobs in 2008 and that unemployment has spiked to 7.2 percent. These are yet more indicators of the financial and emotional challenges Americans face every day. It’s hard not to let yourself get depressed, even if you still have your job.

I’m one of those guys that believe things happen for a reason, even when those things are painful. I’ve faced my own financial challenges and learned a great deal from them, including that the only way to be really secure in your employment is to be working for yourself, following your true calling and making the contribution that you alone are uniquely qualified to make.

Read my full article in ColoradoBiz Magazine.