Ah, Thanksgiving. There’s a number of things that define this holiday.

Turkey. Stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Hats with belt buckles on them. Endless arguments with your Uncle Pat about who should have won the election.

And, of course, copyright. Yes, you read that correctly! Copyright.

If you’re a creative, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself in situations where your relatives, or your friends, look at what you do for a living and think that it’s easy.

“Joe, what’s the big deal? You hold the camera, you hit record, you point it at stuff, stuff happens, you hit the button again, and boom… you’re done.”

OR

“Lindsey, who cares that I pirated Shake It Off? T-Swift is a gajillionaire! Is Taylor really going to miss the extra 99 cents?”

The answers are: “Yes, making a movie is a big deal,” and “Yes, Taylor Swift and the dozens of people who spent nights putting her song together will miss the 99 cents.”

Especially when it’s hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people downloading films or music online for free. Do the math – 99 cents times 1,000,000 illegal downloads is the difference between a camera operator or a sound technician making a living.

But, wouldn’t it be great to be able to back up your arguments with some nifty legal information? Well, you’re in luck! We have recently partnered with the Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®), the voice and advocate for the global independent motion picture and television industry, in order to give you some solid background in copyright law so you can bolster your arguments with some facts.

Think of how Uncle Pat will feel when you hit him with some Digital Millennium Copyright Act upper cuts and leave his head spinning. We wouldn’t be surprised if he deleted all of his pirated Taylor Swift songs immediately!

So, this Thanksgiving, make sure you come home prepared and ready for a rumble. You can find all of these resources, and more, in our Creativity Toolkit.

Go get ‘em! #StandCreative™