#foiarequest

When I reflect on what I learned over this past month’s“Legal Aspects of Media” course at Full Sail University I become confident that I have a firm grasp of preventing legal issues in media. Being able to avoid as well as address legal concerns regarding content and intellectual property will put me into a position to be a strong asset to my team, company, or whomever I represent. I consider myself to be a strategist and this course material is something I will reference when I’m in question or have a concern regarding publishing content.

The first of this four-week course started off with reading about media law. Being a visual learner I can appreciate being able to watch videos gain a stronger understanding of my assignments. Watching videos about accessing government proceedings and recordings were an excellent way to learn how to make a FOIA request. The videos about intrusion and invasion of privacy were a great way to cap off my first week of class.

When I think about my favorite assignment from this course one in particular stands out and it comes from week 3, “Copyright Registration and Search”. Copyright is very important in the field I’m pursuing in film and multimedia, and learning how to research copyrighted material is key. Understanding the correct way to complete a Copyright Registration Form is key when it comes to ensuring intellectual property is protected.

Learning how to read a judicial opinion, and understanding the elements of defamation and corresponding defenses really opened my eyes about how I can prevent myself from being part of a lawsuit. It was also great to learn the difference between defamation for public officials and figures versus private persons. Being provided with key links about each state’s defamation law will put me into a position to see how Georgia differs from my home state of California.

This course met and exceeded my expectations because of the plethora of knowledge and resources I was provided and again, the video lessons were key in raising my level of confidence. When it comes to copyright, the FTC, advertising and marketing on the Internet, defamation, the Legal Aspects of Media course made me feel like I can be a great master of media.

WB Suhail