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The Intention and Use of SusanEgan.net
This site is meant to aid in the research of Susan Egan’s career – and is intended for educational use only. No copyright infringement intended.
From Susan:
It has been brought to my attention that there are many materials on this website that fall under the auspices of copyright law. As I have been vocal about my support of composers (many personal friends of mine) who have been cheated out of rightful income due to the “trading” of sheet music online – an illegal act – I want to make sure my own use of copyrighted materials is both legal and clearly so.
For the record, I have been given permission to use the majority of materials here on this website by the producers and/or artists who created them. Much of the material I own outright, but anything I don’t (such as show logos, for example) I shoot an email off to the producers and I have been given permission to use them. But the fact is .... I don't even need to have it, and here's why: I may use this material without stating my right to do so … up to a point … due to something called “Fair Use.”
To be clear, “Fair Use” has quite a few gray areas, many of which are being debated due to the “new” medium of the internet now, but generally it is determined by following a few “Rules of Thumb:” why is the material being used, how much of the material is being used, how does the use impact the market for the original material?
In the case of this website – the site itself is a means for people to research my career. That may occur by the general public (fans – the one or two I may or may not have) or the entertainment community. The site is an extension of my resume, highlighting career credits over the last 20 years. Technology has allowed me to upload my Demo Reel here, for example, so that rather than making 100’s of copies on VHS (like the old days) to give to industry casting directors, producers can simply stream the demo on their computers. This is my effort to be planet-friendly and green, not to “broadcast” material illegally. The clips used in that demo have been given to me to use BY the producers of those various projects for this very use. They are limited in length, and in no way impact the money those projects have or will generate. In the same vein, the music clips are either owned by me, and/or are limited in length and again are used as a multi-media resume, providing samples of my work, they are edited to be less than 30 seconds. All photos not owned by me outright are credited and used with permission; they either fall under the category of press photos, or personal photos – both of which are considered “Fair Use” on this site.
I care deeply about the letter of the law. I care deeply about the arts. As I stated, copyright and “Fair Use” have many, many gray areas, argued in courts of law by people better educated in the area than I. But my argument regarding copyrighted material is NOT a gray area. On “sharing” websites, writers’ music is being traded illegally, when it is available for legal download on several sheet music websites; that is CLEAR copyright infringement. Trading sheet music is in no way “Fair Use.” It’s being traded in its entirety, often performed for income, and most of all undermines the sale of said material. The culprits may be ignorant of the law, and so my effort is to educate.
I use the materials on this site in good faith and with the understanding that they fall under “Fair Use,” and if I am told by someone with expertise and credentials that any use here is unlawful, I am happy to take said material off the site. I appreciate the need to be clear on such matters, and welcome the opportunity to now make this statement.
I appreciate the matter being brought to my attention, although it was done by someone who had clearly not done their research, and when presented with the facts, remained not simply ignorant, but belligerent. [I later learned this person has a personal vendetta against a friend of mine; and thus I don’t trust them to be fair and impartial.] So be it. I still appreciate that I should be clear about the use and intention for this website.
Thanks,
Susan |
