Copyright laws via Disney mash-up

This video is a combination of Disney movie clips connected together to describe the Fair Use laws for copyrighted materials. Copyright laws originally covered a work for only 14 or 15 years - the reasoning being that this was a long enough period of time for the owner to make a profit on the work. Now due to the long lasting capability of mediums, companies and individuals can own the rights on their work or material for a lifetime plus 70 years. However the video argues that some materials can be used in small amounts so long as the use of the material does not destroy the original work or is not used for profit.

I think whenever possible it is important for teachers to either purchase a work or get permission to use the work in their classroom. This may take extra work on the teacher's part, but ensures their protection from lawsuit or fines. However, I also think there are cases where using copyrighted material is o.k. - like the example the video gave of non-profit use or properly citing the material.