Copy Right Activity

Below are two scenarios that have to do with copyright laws, as well as my feeling as to how the situations should be handled.

Scenario One:

Mr. Jamweimer, the parent of one of our most intellectual students, has paid to download a wonderful computer software program for his little Einstein. Mr. Jamweimer wants "our school" to be the best and sends a copy of the downloaded file to be used by the students on the computers at school. P.S. All of the kids use it and win Nobel prizes in science, literature, physics, chemistry, and playground.

Response:

Mr. Jamweimer has not abused the copyright law by sending the downloaded software program to Einstein’s school for their use . He has “fair use” to use the software with his “Einstein”, because he paid to download it. He may give it to the school, but if the school decides to use the program on their computers, then a copyright law is being broken. Under the “fair use” policy, Mr. Jamweimer is permitted to make a backup copy to be used only if the original fails. Depending on the program, the school could possibly install the software on one school computer, for limited personal use or for use with students, depending on the licensing agreement on the software. However, to be sure of the exact licensing agreement, the school would need to call the company and obtain this information. The rule to remember when thinking about sharing software is to contact the author or publisher and ask permission.

Scenario Two:

A teacher at your school (who has a really rowdy bunch of monsters) makes an agreement with them that they if they learn how to make power point presentations on sports, war, hunting, rock music, etc., she will let them get graphics from anywhere on the Internet. Sites like Sports Illustrated, ESPN, DOD, and Rock Music Hall of Fame are used. They make great presentations and become great kids. What are the copyright implications??

Response:

Since the students are completing a project with factual information there should be no piracy issues. It is important to let the children know what is legal and what isn’t, however. First of all students should know and credit their sources. If they get a picture or information from a site, they need to include where they got the information in their presentation. It should be handled in the same manner as typing a term paper. Secondly, when students use information from a site, they may not use the entire web page, just as they wouldn’t rewrite an entire book. The rule to remember is to give credit where credit is due.