Copyright

• Scenerio: You create a web link to the CBS - David Letterman Web page, the Right to Life and the Right to Choice web pages on your school's home page. Your principal instructs you to remove them from the schools links.

This topic is interesting and I think deals with more than just a copyright question. Is the principal uncomfortable with the subject matter, the copyright or where this information is placed?

I think the principal has every right to ask for the web link to be removed from the school website. Perhaps that is not where it belongs. This is especially true with a controversial topic such as “Right to Life” The Principal most likely doesn’t want to give an impression as to a side of the fence the school might stand on. That would have political implications.

Letterman’s page is public domain, although I don’t know that the page itself isn’t copyright protected, so posting it on a website would have copyright infringements. It would be important to have written permission to have it posted.

• Scenerio: 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 download 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.

There are laws that protect the makers of software. Any “ uncopyrighted” software would be considered a “bootleg” software the same as CD’s or shared music. How would the software people make their money??? It is illegal to distribute the license unless the license agreement states that it is shareable. Because Mr. Jamweimer has paid to download his software onto his computer, he is allowed to use it but not to share it with another computer or user. I have observed this issue out in the corporate world as well. Purchasing licenses for use/distribution of software is VERY costly. In my last job, they only had so many licenses available for certain tasks, or run the risk of the software copyrights to be infringed on. Bottom line is if he wants to share … the students will have to go over to his house and borrow his computer…. Or the school will need to purchase more licenses for the use of that software.