Week 5 recap

Week 5: This week was interesting as I took the level 0 test. Many of the questions were challenging but, I feel I learned some new things due to the work I had to put in to find some of the answers. Our class topic seemed to focus on defining copyright further for week 5. We discussed the vague definition of "original works" and went over the exclusive rights to copyright ownership. Their was also a scavenger hunt that tied into our classroom discussion about limitations on exclusive rights according to U.S.C 17. I located another limitation for library usage for some extra points. Some of the other topics we covered were derivative works, piracy, and the online "hacktivist" group called Anonymous. The discussion had some mixed feelings towards Anonymous and the work they do. My favorite part was the guest speaker, Sayoko Blodgett-Ford who teaches IP at the law school. She gave us a good first hand experience of what its like for someone who enforces IP law for companies. She worked for Nintendo and told us about all her strategies to keep IP laws enforced for Nintendo but, to also minimize liability and reduce cost of legal process. 

This week I spent much time reading Code 2.0 and trying to grasp the ideas and points Lessig presents. My understanding of these complex topics are becoming much more clear than when I first started the semester. I can now explain   what copyright is and some of the limitations on ownership of IP. I also gained knowledge about many influential groups and court cases in the realm of IP. Some of the legislation I have also learned about such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Just for fun, because our guest speaker said Nintendo don't care to much about the small stuff I posted some Nintendo characters to honor their good sportsmanship when it comes to copyright.