The Arts and Copyright - New Publication for Schools

Learning about copyright can be fun. The latest publication in WIPO's popular series for schools shows how.

Aimed at 9 to 14 year-olds, The Arts and Copyright weaves an informative account of the principles of copyright law around a wealth of colorful examples, which demonstrate how copyright and related rights work in practice to protect and encourage creativity.

Using simple terms and illustrations, the workbook brings the concepts underpinning copyright within easy grasp of young students. Nor does it shy away from legal substance: after setting out the different rights protected under international copyright law, readers are shown how to look up the provisions for themselves in the Berne Convention on the WIPO website, and to check whether their country is party to the Convention. A central section of the book explains how copyright limitations and the public domain provide a balance between the rights of creators and the public interest in accessing and using their works. The final chapter explores different forms of copyright infringement, from plagiarism to illegal file sharing, touching also on digital rights management.

Throughout the pages, "Young Author" profiles tell the stories of youngsters who have achieved distinction through their creative works - such as the best-selling author of the Eragon fantasy stories, Christopher Paolini; and ten year old Indian film-maker Kisha Shrikanth.

Teaching copyright in the round

The book encourages young students to view copyright from different perspective by casting the readers in different roles - first as creators, then as users of copyrighted works. Their new-found knowledge is put to the test through games and activities, such as "Clear the Rights," "Public Domain Detective," and "Spot...