Lesson 1 covers our roles as consumers and creators and the basic protections of copyright. It also provides a high level view of copyright’s limitations—the things it doesn’t cover, like facts and ideas, fair uses, and works in the public domain.
LESSON 1: Creativity in the Online World — Our Roles as Creators and Consumers

Ways to access this lesson
Video clips for in-class lessons
Video Link | Video ID | Description | Runtime (w/o credits)* |
---|---|---|---|
View Video | 1.1 | “Magic Meerkat Moments” from BBC One, Planet Earth | 1:48 |
View Video | 1.2 | “Polar bear encounter” from BBC One, Planet Earth | 2:00 |
View Video | 1.3 | “What’s Up with Copyright Anyway?—A Brief (Very Brief) History and Copyright Basics” | 5:30 |
View Video | 1.4 | “Permission NOT Required—The Limits of Copyright: Ideas & Facts, Fair Use, and Public Domain” | 8:32 |
View Video | 1.5 | “From Bullied to Bank: How Bethany Mota Created a YouTube and Fashion Empire” | 4:30 |
View Video | 1.6 | Frontline Documentary “The Persuaders” | 1:13 |
* Video runtimes do not include the credits.