Martha Buskirk. Is It Ours? Art, Copyright, and Public Interest. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2021. 304p. Hardcover, $50.00 (ISBN 9780520344594).

Abstract

In the past, intellectual property (IP) law wasn’t something the average person considered in their day-to-day lives, but the current pervasiveness of multimedia technology has brought it front and center. We depend on screens for work, education, and entertainment, and the internet and social media make it easy to consume, create, copy, and distribute content. Copyright issues that were previously the purview of creators and lawyers now impact everyone. Librarians are fielding questions from faculty and students, especially those in the arts: can I use this image/music/film in my project or class? And the answer is usually a very unsatisfying “it depends…” followed by a thorny discussion where, with disclaimers, we attempt to give advice that straddles the line between legalities and support for creative expression.