Copyright Law, Plagiarism and Ethical Issues (Week 4)

This week we talked about copyright, plagiarism and ethical issues. Although copyright and plagiarism have been around for a long time, which we also talked about it class, the Internet has made plagiarizing and breaking copyright laws even easier.

It’s important for users to understand the different ethical laws, such as the difference between copyright and fair use. “Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United State (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works,” according to the U.S. Office of Copyright. Fair Use, according to Title 17 of the U.S. Code, “is for various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 also sets out four factors to consider in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work 

In class we also looked at different videos and discussed whether they were copyright violations. Often times, if something doesn’t degrade the purpose of the work or if it’s for educational use, then it would not be considered a violation of copyright.  One site that helps users avoid copyright violations is Creative Commons. Creative Commons offers information and pictures that are available for people to use, as opposed to the massive amount of available information on the Internet which might not be available for use.

If there is one area where the problems of plagiarism have become evident it is the field of journalism. Jayson Blair stands as an example to not only journalists but also artists throughout the country. Journalists rely on outside people and documents for their information, and it is important that those recourses are referenced. Unfortunately, as the amount of available information on the Internet increases, it becomes harder to decipher what’s available and becomes easier to take information and pass it on as an accurate representation of facts. As a writer, it is important for me to be conscious of where I get my information and be able to tell if it’s a trusted site. It’s also important for me to understand copyright laws, so I know what my rights are in respect to what I have written.

Not only is plagiarizing a problem in journalism, but it can also affect education. The following video offers a cute example of a way plagiarizing and cheating can work its way into the classroom and its consequences. As this is an educational technology class, it is important to look at the educational aspect to ethical issues. In order for people to understand what is ethical it has to begin in the classroom. The video is a parody on Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”  and was actually filmed in Gainesville. An interesting question to ponder while watching the video: Where does this fit into to copyright laws? Check it out:

 The video was found on Youtube.com, lyrics and video production by Jim McKenzie and
performed by Kristen Huish.