The rapid rise of AI use is creating some very serious legal and ethical issues such as bias, discrimination, inequity, privacy violations, and--as creators everywhere fear--theft of protected intellectual property. Because AI platforms "learn" by scraping training materials available online or what is provided to them through their…

In the United States and much of the world, the current framework of intellectual property laws revolves around protecting others from tampering with an author's work. The copyright holder decides who can use it, who can change it, and who can share. There is a growing school of thought, though, that holds that intellectual creations should be…

Colleges have deployed various tactics over the years to deter illegal file sharing, usually of commercial music and movies, by their students. This month, the U.S. Department of Education will begin crafting regulations that specify strategies, a prospect that is making some campus officials wonder if plans they have already invested in will pass…

In this article, the author asserts that technology is not the answer to digital piracy at colleges and universities. Citing the three most common explanations given for copyright infringement--that students cannot always get what they want, cannot always use what they can get, or think the price of what they can get is unfair--he asserts that the…

Discusses legal issues involved in developing and distributing multimedia publications. Examines libel; rights of publicity; and such elements of copyright law as copyright protections and infringements, fair use and public domain policies, and use of ideas and factual materials. Uses a hypothetical multimedia project to illustrate the legal rules…

This booklet has been prepared to familiarize the inventor, creator, or developer of a new computer software product or software invention with the basic legal issues involved in developing, protecting, and distributing the software in the United States. Basic types of software protection and related legal matters are discussed in detail,…

Over the last decade, many of Kelvin Smith Library's (KSL) content delivery services have gone digital, and some, such as enhanced course reserves products, are new to the market. The best digital library services have given KSL options and integrated solutions that allow it to do more than it thought possible just a few years ago. As with many…

Discusses the protection of intellectual property as it applies to computer software and its impact on private enterprise and the public good. Highlights include the role of patents, copyrights, and trade secrets; some court cases; and recommendations for alternatives to the existing legal framework for protecting computer software. (KRN)

This background paper reviews copyright, patent, and trade secret protections as these issues are related to computer software. Topics discussed include current issues regarding legal protection for computer software including the necessity for defining intellectual property, determining what should or should not be protected, commerical piracy,…

Growing computer software sales are forcing universities to rethink their "intellectual-property" policies, covering everything from copyrighted textbooks to patented inventions, to see where computer software fits in. Issues and factors considered in determining who owns and profits from software developed at a university are discussed. (JN)

The author discusses the issue of copyright, oldies, and digital preservation. He examines efforts being made to create digital sound repositories for music record prior to 1970 at such places as Yale, Syracuse, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress. These issues are explored by contrasting the music industry's concern for loss…

Discusses copyright laws applied to computer software for professors, students, and institutions. Concepts including infringement, contributory infringement, first sale doctrine, and licenses are considered. A sample university policy statement to avoid liability is presented. (YP)

Noting a recent increase in the number of cases of computer crime and computer piracy, this paper takes up the question, "How can understanding the social context of computing help us--as parents, educators, and members of government and industry--to educate young people to become morally responsible members of an electronic information…

Compares the development of copyright in the United Kingdom and the United States in relation to writing, literary works and other forms of intellectual property, and computer programs to show how writing is a unifying principle for documents and computers. (68 references) (EAM)

Students' attitudes and perceptions regarding the use of unlicensed software are important to educators and businesses. Students have a proven propensity to pirate software and other intellectual property. By understanding how attitudes and perceptions toward software piracy differ among university students in a cross-national context, educators…