How does PACA Search decide who to include in their search results? Anyone know?

Speaking about Technology at PACA

For anyone attending the PACA conference this year, I am going to be speaking with a few others in the Industry about the role that technology will play in the future. I guess they like what we are doing with technology that they asked a former stock broker on Wall st. to speak about it ;-)

If you can make it the technology session will take place on:
Sunday 26th October from 3.30pm – 5.30pm
at:
New York Downtown Marriott
85 West St (at Albany St)
New York, NY 10006
Tel: (212) 385-4900

The title of the discussion is: "What Role is Technology Playing in New Business Opportunities?"

The moderator will be Jeff Burke, Former PACA President.

The panelists are: Kevin Goldsmith (Adobe), Oleg Tscheltzoff (Fotolia), Ben London (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), Giles Copp (Version Industries) and myself.

Come one, come all and root on Cutcaster if you have time on Sunday in NYC. Here is a list of other PACA sessions that will be taking place that whole weekend.

PACA - Legal Contracts

If you are in need of a template for some legal contracts before you sell your work check out the PACA website for a legal guide. It includes NDAs, Collection of Claims, Contributor Agreements, Distribution Agreements, any Website Agreements, Copyright Registration Forms, Infringement Letters, Litigation Forms and Release Forms. Just about every contract or "put you to sleep" material you could ever want in one place.

While you have to be a member to access the database, which costs a bit of cash but it might be worth it depending on the size of your archive and the number of employees you have. A good person to speak with is Nancy Wolf. Or you can copy and use the Cutcaster agreements if you want. We don't mind ;-)

Legally using images and videos in your blog

Copyright issues and clearing rights are so important to creating an ethical and secure marketplace. We have covered in previous blog posts what is Fair Use and understanding copyright laws better which you can find here. But that line can sometimes be gray so how do you know what is Fair Use and what can get you in deep water?

From the PACA website:

"Fair Use" doctrine allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes. The copyright law provides that reproduction "for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research" is not an infringement of copyright.

This is a defense to infringement and is limited in scope. We had an interesting conversation with Adam Eland from WallStrip about this type of usage. If how you are using someone else's work qualifies as fair use, it will be decided by the courts, which balances various factors, and is decided on a case by case basis: This is where it can get gray. Guidelines are more commonplace than concrete rules, which is what can make things confusing for people that are not copyright lawyers. Here are some helpful guidelines:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. the nature of the copyrighted work; factual or more artistic
3. the amount and substance of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

So remember, when you are using someone else's work always be mindful of how you are using it and please give credit where credit is due. Just a simple shout-out on your page or link back to the author's page. It's only fair.