Chapter 10 Digital Citizenship
207
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Public domain refers to material that is not owned by anybody.
This material can be used without permission. Much of the material
created by federal, state, or local governments is often in the public
domain. This is because taxpayer money was used to create it.
Material can also enter the public domain when a copyright expires
and is not renewed. Additionally, the owner of the material may
choose to place the material in the public domain. In doing so, he or
she gives up any claim to the material.
Many websites have terms of use. This is a list of rules
that must be followed for the site. The agreement may come
up automatically if you are downloading a fi le or software
application. However, if you are copying an image or a portion
of text from a website, you will need to look for the terms of
use information. Unless the terms of use specifi cally state that
you are free to copy and use the material provided on a website,
assume the material is copyrighted. You cannot reuse the material
without permission.
Patent
A patent gives a person or company the right to be the sole
producer of a product for a defi ned period of time. Patents protect
an invention that is functional or mechanical. The invention must
be considered useful and inoffensive, and it must be operational.
This means that an idea may not be patented. A process can be
patented under certain conditions. The
process must be related to a particular
machine or transform a substance or
item into a different state or thing.
Trademark
A trademark protects taglines, slogans,
names, symbols, and any unique method
to identify a product or company. A service
mark is similar to a trademark, but it
identifi es a service rather than a product.
Trademarks and service marks do not
protect a work or product. They only
protect the way in which the product is
described. The term trademark is often used
to refer to both trademarks and service
marks. Trademarks never expire, but they
can be revoked.
Twin Design/Shutterstock.com
Most brand logos, such as those seen on social
media websites, are trademarks.
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