It all started with a cute puppy picture. My neighbor's dog, Minky, was an absolute fluffball, and I just couldn't get enough. My neighbor, who was kind enough to send me Minky's photos, was a great source. Soon, my friends, who also adored dogs and cats, started noticing my collection. They'd ask for pictures, and I'd happily oblige, often pulling them from my friends' KakaoTalk profiles. It felt like a fun, shared hobby.
Then, things got a little complicated. My neighbor came to my classroom, a bit upset. "You can't just send Minky's pictures to everyone," she said. "Those are my photos." I was confused. They were on my phone, and she had sent them to me. What was the big deal?
She explained something called 'copyright.' Apparently, even though she sent me the photos, she took them, and that gave her rights over them. I’d never heard of copyright before, and the idea that I couldn't freely use photos saved on my own phone seemed absurd. I brushed it off.
The next day, another friend, Misol, approached me with a similar complaint about a cat photo on her profile. "I didn't give you permission to use my cat's picture!" she exclaimed. I argued that if she put it on her profile for everyone to see, it should be fair game. Why put it there if you didn't want people to use it?
That afternoon, my teacher called me over. She asked if I had ever downloaded photos from friends' profiles and sent them to others. I admitted I had. Then she introduced me to the concept of copyright in a way that finally clicked. She explained that copyright is the right a creator has over their work. If someone takes a beautiful photo of a dog, that photographer owns the rights to that photo. To use it, you need their permission.
I asked, "But if they put it online for everyone to see, doesn't that mean we can use it freely?" My teacher explained that posting something online is called 'publication,' and it's just one of the creator's rights. It doesn't automatically grant permission for others to use it without consent. This was a revelation. My understanding that 'public' meant 'free for all' was completely wrong.
Then came the question about combining photos. I had been having fun merging Minky's face onto other cats' bodies, and my friends loved it. My teacher explained that even with permission to use a photo, creating a new work by combining it with others requires separate permission. This is called the right to create derivative works, and it's also protected.
So, to share a friend's pet photo or combine them, I needed their explicit permission because they held the copyright. And what about photos downloaded from the internet? The same rule applied. I needed permission from the original creator, and I should also mention where I got the photo from. If getting permission was too difficult, the safest bet was to share the link to where the photo was originally found.
My teacher then asked me to imagine someone taking my drawing and claiming it as their own. That thought immediately made me understand how the creator feels. It’s frustrating and unfair when someone else acts like the owner of your creation. She explained that copyright laws exist to protect creators and that infringing on them can have consequences.
Suddenly, it all made sense. I realized my actions were wrong. I deleted all the photos I had downloaded without permission and sent apologies to my neighbor and Misol. I explained that I had learned about copyright and understood I had violated it. It was a humbling experience, realizing that my casual approach to sharing images had been disrespectful to the creators.
I used to think that anything posted online was fair game. But learning about copyright opened my eyes. I even got a little scared thinking about what could have happened if I continued without understanding. Now, I want to share this knowledge. I see photos being shared in group chats daily, often without a second thought. I feel like I can be a 'copyright teacher' for my friends, helping them avoid the same mistakes I made. It feels good, like I'm becoming a more responsible person. Who should I talk to first? Ah, there goes Misol. "Misol!" I called out. "Stop copyright infringement!"
Meanwhile, in another classroom, the energy was palpable. "Ready, action!" the director's voice boomed, signaling the start of another scene in our film class. Mondays were my favorite – the 3rd and 4th periods dedicated to making movies. We’d shoot, reshoot, and shoot again, hundreds of 'NGs' (no good takes) later, until we captured what we needed.
During lunch, instead of resting, we were all gathered, engrossed in editing. "What if we put this shot here?" "How about this one?" "Let's add sound effects to the next scene." "This background music would be perfect." The classroom buzzed with our voices, everyone actively and seriously involved in our shared passion.
My best friend, Jiyul, the designated editing director, chimed in, "Let's use this photo and bring in this background music from the internet!" Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and our discussion concluded. As I walked home, I was deep in thought, the echoes of our creative process and the upcoming challenges of sourcing materials for our film lingering in my mind.
