Considers issues involving intellectual property rights on information networks. The need for the Internet and the National Information Infrastructure to support both commercial and noncommercial providers of information is discussed; and intellectual property management as services available to information providers rather than as features of the…

Presents arguments for free software, an open sharing of intellectual property. Highlights include the suitability of copyright for printed material but not for digital information; controlling information for profit; the natural rights of authors; economic issues; and custom enhancements of free software. (LRW)

Discusses issues relating to intellectual property rights that are being affected by information technologies. A 1986 study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is discussed; intellectual property law is described, including copyright, patents, and trade secrets; and the involvement of the university community in considering intellectual…

Focuses on the history of the United States as a copyright haven from 1790 to the Chace Act of 1891. Indicates analogies between the United States' historical practice and the exploitation of its intellectual property, without observing copyright, to late 20th-century China. Examines the contrast between the idea of a transition to an information…

Contains two articles: (1) excerpts from testimony by the chairperson of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) regarding copyright law revisions; and (2) a statement by the Council on Library Resources (CLR) Board of Directors regarding the Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights' report on copyright law and…

Analyzes the extent to which universities may claim ownership in faculty works through the work for hire doctrine of copyright law. Explores whether there is continued vitality in a "teacher exception" to the work for hire doctrine. Concludes that application of the work for hire doctrine to faculty work remains an open question. (RS)

Institutions of higher education have embraced distance education but have not addressed concerns such as intellectual property rights and university-based career paths. Because of their limited commitment to the integration of technology into instruction, universities may be left behind. (JOW)

Suggests that professors can retain control over their intellectual property through collective bargaining and careful planning, but that there are reasonable alternatives to the privatization of academic knowledge that offer public benefits and the ensuing public confidence. (EV)

By and large, educators are honest and ethical. Yet, copyright violations such as those described in the following scenarios are all too common in many, if not most, schools: Teacher Gray shows Disney's The Little Mermaid to reward her students for scoring exceptionally well on a recent test. Teacher Black adds images taken from various Internet…

This article gives tips on how to avoid having content stolen by plagiarists. Suggestions include: using a Web search service such as Google to search for unique strings of text at the individuals site to uncover other sites with the same content; buying a infringement-detection program; or hiring a public relations firm to do the work. There are…

In this second part of a two-part interview with Clifford A. Lynch, Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information, Lynch talks to Hawkins about the most provocative and exciting projects that are being developed in the field of networked information worldwide. He also talks on how institutional repositories are being currently…

This article examines some of the controversial issues emerging from the privatization of biomedical research and commercialization of biotechnology. The aim is to identify the dominant social, political, and ethical risks associated with the recent shift from academic to corporate science and from the increasing emphasis on investing in research…

This article begins by explaining the concepts of proprietary and open source software technology, which are now competing in the marketplace. A review of recent individual and cooperative technology development and public policy advocacy efforts, by both proponents of open source software and advocates of proprietary software, subsequently…

Not all materials created by faculty should be freely shared. When an institution has a profitable course being offered electronically, the creator of those materials and the institution want to protect them. However, most materials created for students will never be profitably marketed. Creative Commons offers faculty members who have concerns…

Technological progress has been the key to improved living standards, but how and where do new ideas get their start? The answer might give us some insight into how we can support greater innovation. Some suggest universities have been an important source of innovative technology. A look at the people involved in the development of patented…