Allen, J.M., Clem, K.E., Elleven, R.K., Andrews, C.G., & Cagle, L.S. (2004). Copyright and Fair Use: An issue of ethics in a changing learning environment. The Texas Journal of Distance Learning [Online serial], 1(2), 1-8. Available: http://www.txjdl.org/articles/v1i2/copyright/
Copyright and Fair Use: An Issue of Ethics in a Changing Learning Environment
Copyright infringement is one of the most talked about, yet most misunderstood topics in the curriculum and instructional development areas. The field of copyright protection is fraught with gray areas that undermine an individual's honest ability to discern what might be lawful uses of copyrighted materials. This article begins with a brief history of copyright law in the U.S. and provides examples, references, and discussion of "fair use." Additionally, issues related to the Internet are addressed, including: Web Linking, Framing, Plagiarism, Web-based referencing. Finally considerations and suggestions for teaching and using ethical practices in the industrial and educational classroom are discussed. Fair use and copyright in educational institutions is largely an ethical issue. Ethics are not dependent on individual's actions. All parties involved must contribute to the ethical nature of an event and must accept both the responsibility for their actions or their non-actions.