Putting a CIO and a lawyer together in the same room may give one the start of a pretty decent joke, but it could also save an institution millions of dollars in legal fees. While the IT chief understands the systems that fall under the purview of compliance, the attorney is the go-to pessimist for identifying the "gotcha" elements when it comes…

When Lars Ulrich, drummer for the rock group Metallica, testified before Congress about his group's lawsuit against Napster in 2000, many people who followed copyright issues in the music industry were not surprised (Ulrich, 2000). Ever since downloading audio files became as easy as clicking a few buttons on a personal computer, charges of…

Examines First Amendment, privacy, and intellectual property issues of communication on the Internet. Discusses developments in communications policy related to the proposed communication superhighway. Suggests ways in which communication scholars can secure fundamental legal protections necessary for full, free, and effective communication in the…

Examines existing copyright law, the ambiguous case law concerning copyrightable material and educators; university policies toward patent and copyright law; and the changing nature of educational institutions in the 1990s. Considers the question of who "owns" an online composition course. Outlines issues that composition instructors need to…

Discusses computer ethics and the use of computer networks. Topics addressed include computer hackers; software piracy; computer viruses and worms; intentional and unintentional abuse; intellectual property rights versus freedom of thought; the role of information in a democratic society; individual privacy; legislation; social attitudes; and the…