Bound By Law? (Tales from the Public Domain)
This graphic-novel-format paperback is an excellent introduction to copyright law. The authors, all law professors, wanted to make copyright accessible for everyone in a form other than a law-review article. The "plot" revolves around Akiko, a filmmaker who wants to capture a day in the life of New York City. As Akiko tries to produce her film, she learns about copyright basics, including fair use, public domain, and the impact of digital technology. She also learns about the rise of the "rights culture," that is, a culture that demands a person obtain the rights to use copyrighted materials even for incidental uses for which rights were not required in the past. We leave Akiko musing over a "cultural environmental movement" that would counter the rights culture. The book, published under a Creative Commons License, which clearly spells out the rights granted to readers, is also available to be read or downloaded for free at http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics. This is a fantastic approach for introducing students to copyright law, even at the middle-school level, and a must for professional development.Esther SinofskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved