Defining Copyright and
Plagiarism
Copyright
Plagiarism
TEACH Act
copy·right : "the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and
sell the matter and form (as of a literary, musical, or artistic
work)." (WWWebster Dictionary, [online]. Available:
http://www.m-w.com [1998, June 23]).
Copyright protection extends to all forms of intellectual property and exists
as soon as the work is put into a fixed form. Registration is not a requirement
for copyright protection. For more information, consult these websites:
United States Copyright Office
Home Page
Provides links to general copyright information, Copyright FAQ's,
legislation, speeches and testimony, and an electronic mailing list for
those interested in copyright issues.
The Copyright Website
Provides links to famous cases of copyright infringement, basic information,
web issues, and fair use and public domain information.
Cyber-Property:
Copyright, Citation, and the World Wide Web
Discusses copyright issues on the Internet.
Digital Future Coalition
Supports balanced copyright policy that provides protection while permitting
public access, and provides links to past issues, current issues, hot links,
and short descriptions of copyright issues.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Napster and Digital Music
From the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Provides good background on the MP3 distributed file sharing controversy,
that facilitates the copying and free distribution of copyrighted music via the
Web. The technology is described, along with legislation
against Napster by musical artists and the
RIAA.
Let the Music Play: File
Sharing: It's Music to Our Ears
For an opposing viewpoint to that of the RIAA, see the
Electronic Frontier Foundation's
perspective on legalizing peer-to-peer (P2P) technology and file
sharing, while compensating artists and copyright holders.
Provides good background on online music distribution, and
suggests a number of new business models relevant to today's
digital realities.
pla·gia·rize : " to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of
another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
. . . to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product
derived from an existing source." (WWWebster Dictionary,
[online]. Available: http://www.m-w.com [1998,
June 23]).
You can avoid plagiarism by always citing
your sources, including any and all resources and information found on the
Web, via the Internet, or other electronic sources. It also helps to
familiarize yourself thoroughly with ISU's policies against plagiarism.
Search the Dean of Students website
using the term plagiarism to locate relevant sections of the Student
Handbook, Judicial Affairs Administration, and other policies.
In November, 2002, the Technology,
Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH
Act) was signed into law. The TEACH Act redefines the ways
in which copyright protected materials may be used by educational
institutions in the U.S. in distance education. The TEACH Act is
particularly relevant to the Instruction Commons because it addresses
how copyright protected materials may be used on websites and by other
digital means.
Content last
updated: 7/30/03
