Legal and Ethical

Copyright laws
The copyright designs and patent act, which was
created in 1988 and was introduced for two main
reasons, which consisted of making sure people are
rewarded for their hard work, and also give their
creator some kind of protection if their work is ever
stolen. Before this act, there was very little that these
people could do if someone did steal their work and
claim it as their own. This law covers a number of
different types of primary multimedia and in
particular its focused on protecting ICT work since its a
lot easier to take credit of someone else's work. This
can also apply to copying software, mp3, songs, video, images, text etc. anything that
someone has initially created and you have taken without the owners permission is in
breach of this copyright law.
In the UK right now, you have no need to apply for or register as such since the laws of
copyright are enforced automatically. This lasts for a lifetime and then an additional 70 after
the creators death. After this time period has worn out, the copyright is usually passed
downed to the creators heirs or beneficiaries. sometimes, the copyright does not lie with
solely the creator, but someone else. This can sometimes be hard to track, however using
primary assets without the copy rights holders permission could put you in serious trouble
since you are in violation of this copyright law. The copyright holder is the only person who
can authorise the reproduction of a work in any medium by any other party even if the work
is being stored electronically. If people are commissioned to do any kind of design work, they
will retain the copyright until an agreement is signed by both parties stating otherwise.
however, if these visual creators are employed and not working for themselves, then the
employer actually is the one who retains the copyright.
Especially with images, there is always the option of using stock photos, which are photos
where the copyright owner has decided to open them up to be easily used freely by the
public. Sometimes, strict rules can occur when and where the asset may be used, so its
always important to read what copyright owner has specified. Then again, you are able to
actually pay for assets now, meaning you dont necessarily buy the copyright to the image,
but you buy the right for it, meaning that because you have paid for the actual right, you can
choose to use it how you wish.
Libel
Liable laws cover both libel and slander detrimentally. Libel
refers to the false oral accusation that someone can make
against a person, therefore damaging their reputation as a
whole. As my videos will be shown to members of my class, I
need to make sure that nothing visual or spoken will harm or
offend them, such as racism, swearing etc. If there is a case of this, I need to edit or bleep
out any harmful events within my selected music videos.
Ethical
When working in any part of the media product,
restrictions always apply in regards to exactly what you
want to say or what youre allowed to do. This is to
protect people from things such as racist comments
which may not only offend someone, but even cause
great problems. Contrary to popular belief, the internet is not
somewhere that you can escape these rules, its obviously easier to do online
and more people are likely to break these laws here more than anywhere else since its all
done very anonymously. However, things can always be tracked and therefor, even on the
internet, some things are just still not allowed. Clearly within different media job roles, more
restrictions apply and are more heavily enforced such as television channels and radio
presenters etc. where content may be freely published nationally. If someone finds a piece of
information offensive in any way they may be able to sue the company for lots of money.
there are rules however to avoid this. These consist of:

Youre not allowed to use a picture, video clip of sound of anyone else unless you
have their permission to do so beforehand.
You cant make a verbal statement about any individual which could be seen as
abusive or could harm their reputation. This is called slander.
You cant make a written statement about any individual which could be seen as
abusive or could harm their reputation. This is called Libel.
You arent allowed to use any part of someone elses work (or the whole thing)
without having their permission to do so first. This is an example of a copyright law.
You have to be extremely careful in how you represent and describe the content and
characters in your work since you must make sure you are both unbiased and accurate. This
applies to:

Race (black, white and Asian)

Gender (Male and Female)
Disability (able-bodied and otherwise)
Nationality (British or otherwise)
Class (Working, middle, and upper)
Regionalism (north and south)
Age (old and young)
ASA
The ASA, otherwise known as The Advertising
Standards Authority monitors a series of codes of
practise used to monitor the Medias. Basically what this
means is that they control and supervise that was is
being shown on TV at a certain time is eligible for the
people who may be watching it, so their job is to make
sure that no 18+ films are being shown on prime time TV. To keep in check with the public
the ASA offers surveys and contact details to the public, this presents the opportunity for a
member of the public to write to them any concerns about an advertisements
appropriateness levels.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a requirement that is presented to
someone who needs their permission if someone can use
any of their details, whether it is their name or address, this
law is to be asked first before use. Many people would
reject the law, as they would want to keep their personal
information safe, as if a TV show mentioned a housing
address of someone, anyone could go and visit and the
outcome isnt likely to be good.
Privacy
Privacy in a way is similar to confidentiality, however this is all
about the person as a whole, and whether it be their face to their
voice, this law is also required to ask before use. This law is
enabled to keep a persons identity safe when instructed to do so,
so you cant go and make a TV programme using someones voice
or character without their permission, as it would be illegal to do
so without consent. If so they grant this request, then the editors will have to cut, mute or
edit their face or voice out of the shot, before the final footage is released.
Decency
The decency aspect of a piece of media is used to help
identify and determine what age rating of the content shall
be. Decency is determined by looking for harmful material
such as; Swearing, sexual content, drugs, fears, violence or
any other material that may be considered wrong or
offensive to anyone at all. The decency of a product is very
strictly monitored and is rated as accurately as possible. So
for my product, I need to be aware of each of the following as listed when I rate the age for
the product.
Representation
Representation of classes is a factor which should be considered but is commonly
overlooked in the film industry; this is because the class is only considered it where it is
needed.
Race
Because my product will be featuring music videos and lyrics
to song, I need to ensure that nothing racist is included. Racial
discrimination is a major issue in todays society, so it is
important to represent other ethnicities in work to avoid
discrimination. In my product, I need to look out for any
wrong doings towards a race or ethnicity, whether it is visual
or oral, so people who are viewing my product wont get offended.
Gender
The content is to be unbiased towards male and female
genders. Unless the product is targeted at a certain
audience (which it isnt) then there isnt a way to aim
towards a certain sex. My products target audience is
mainly aimed towards teenagers of both genders, as
its the type of music that they listen to nowadays.
There is a slight fault that has raised my concern, in my
product, there is a music video where a male and female or
dancing romantically in a ballroom, the male is fully dressed in a smart
suit, and the female is wearing something quite revealing. I am somewhat certain
that the original idea wasnt to discriminate the female gender, as some can argue that the
clothing is quite traditional, meaning that people shouldnt take offence to this.
Religion
I also need to be aware of the religious aspects and beliefs, as it
is a major concern that any religious parties should not be a
victim of the media. I need to ensure that my product does not
say or do anything that may be looked upon by a certain
religion, meaning that my product should either respect all the
major religions, or that nothing religious is included within the
final version.
Sexuality
Sexuality is now a modern day aspect that everyone should
respect; therefore I shall proceed to do this in my product.
This doesnt mean I need to include any kind of sexuality
preferences within my product, but I need to ensure that I do
not offend them, by saying or doing anything harmful that
they may take to heart. By showing a male and female together in the product, any sexuality
shouldnt be offended by this, as it isnt harming them.