6.+Copyright,+Plagiarism,+and+Fair+Use

Copyright, Plagiarism, Intellectual Property, Software Piracy and Fair Use

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What is a copyright? A copyright is exclusive right to something granted to the author or creator of an original piece of work. It protects the author’s work from being stolen by someone or used in a way that the author does not approve of. An example of this is using a copyrighted item and calling it your own. Another word for using copyrighted material is plagiarism.

What is plagiarism? According to dictionary.com the definition of plagiarism is “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.” An example of this can be summarizing someone's thoughts as your own idea without giving credit to the original author.

What is intellectual property? Dictionary.com defines intellectual property as property that results from creative thought. An example of this would be copying patented material and calling it your own.

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What are the consequences for using copyrighted material or plagiarism? There is a wide range of consequences from a zero on a classroom assignment to jail time. The following are the consequences for copyright infringement or plagiarism.


 * Offense || Consequences || Notes ||
 * First offense || Student will receive a zero on the assignment and a teacher student conference will be held. || Depending on severity of copyright infringement or plagiarism, consequences may be at the districts discretion ||
 * Second offense- (each level of consequences includes the prior levels consequences) || Parent, teacher, administrator, student meeting. Possible restriction of access to the computers. || Depending on severity of copyright infringement or plagiarism, consequences may be at the districts discretion ||
 * Third offense- (each level of consequences includes the prior levels consequences) || Loss of computer access for the semester, any or all of the schools disciplinary actions || Depending on severity of copyright infringement or plagiarism, consequences may be at the districts discretion ||
 * Fourth offense- (each level of consequences includes the prior levels consequences) || Permanent loss of computer privileges and all disciplinary actions. || Depending on severity of copyright infringement or plagiarism, consequences may be at the districts discretion ||
 * Fifth offense- (each level of consequences includes the prior levels consequences) || Civil or criminal liability under acceptable laws. || Depending on severity of copyright infringement or plagiarism, consequences may be at the districts discretion ||

What is software piracy? Software piracy is the unauthorized copying of software for personal use or for profit. This includes downloading/ copying music, or video without paying for it.

What are “fair use” laws? Section 107 of the Copyright Law, explains what fair use is; it states “items can be used for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “ Section 107 also specifies what the factors are in determining fair use. The factors the U.S. Government considers are: what is the purpose of the use? Was it for commercial or educational use? It considers what the copyrighted work is and how much of the copyrighted work was used and how much the work is valued at?

The US Copyright Office states that there are no actual word counts, line counts or notes that can be used without permission. Also, providing the source of a copyrighted material does not qualify as gaining permission.

What is creative commons? Creative commons movement is a group working to increase creativity and sharing of information under the ideas of universal access to information.