TV NEWS is quite an interesting internet archive. Before we start getting into the ethics and legality of the website I just wanted to discuss my experience on using it. I like the idea that they had all the biggest topics in a collage of words on the homepage. Seeing as we’re in an IT class, I clicked the technology link. This took me to a variety of the videos ranging from CSPAN to SFGTV2 which are both public television stations. One problem I encountered was the broadness of the search… It literally came up with every video that had technology within it. The advanced search was useful, but definitely not on the level of other top search engines and research databases. I actually really like the website, but now its time to get into the issues regarding the ethics and legality of this website. Are they breaking copyright laws? The four “Fair Use” guidelines are a great resource to use when evaluating this website.
- Purpose – In the about section on the website the purpose is stated as “offering permanent access for researches, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections in digital format.” I see no problem with that as they are not looking to make any commercial gains through this website. It also states that the website is a 501(c)(3) or in other words a non-profit website.
- The nature of the work is rather factual and the amount of creativity put into the archive is very minimal.
- In relation to the whole, TV NEWS is right on the track only using snippets of the original clip.
- From my experience on the website, I believe that the effect of the work would not affect the potential market because the website is not producing live feeds. People can still go to their normal places in order to get the news right on the spot.
I have concluded, through the use of the four “Fair Use” guidelines, that the ethics and legality of this website are on par. It does not violate copyright law. The sole purpose of TV NEWS is to be informative, and seeing as it is one of are civil responsibilities to be informed I see no problem with this internet archive.