Yearbooks: The Law And You 2023

While it might appear as a restriction, copyright law can also be a tremendous asset to yearbook staffs. Those same protections and rights apply to the work created. In essence, owning the copyright to a work is like owning a piece of physical property — a house, car or cell phone. Copying a picture from a news organization’s website to use in your publication is like taking someone’s cell phone from their bag and using it for your own personal benefit. To use something that belongs to someone else, you must seek the owner’s permission. The same is true when you want to republish someone else’s copyrighted work. HOW IS COPYRIGHT RELATED TO PLAGIARISM? People often confuse copyright infringement and plagiarism. Plagiarism is an honesty issue. When you cite someone’s work, findings or ideas in your own original work — a research paper or news story, for instance — it’s necessary to reference the source so as not to make it appear as though you created the work. However, in most cases, republishing or substantively using someone’s copyrighted work in your own work requires that you seek permission.

Photo by Mara O’Connor

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