Copyright+Infringement

Copyright is “//a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.//” (The United States Copyright Office, 2012) Copyright gives the owner the exclusive right to or authorize others to reproduce, distribute, or display their work.

Copyright infringement can become an issue for schools that implement an iPad program. Below are several scenarios that may present themselves:
 * Personally owned media uploaded onto a school provided device
 * Illegally downloading media onto the device
 * Using the device to post information on the internet that is in violation of copyright law
 * Making copies of the software installed on the device

It is very important that school districts explain all of the above situations within the contract as well as specify the penalties. If students are aware of the possible penalties (having their device taken away all the way through monetary fines by the court system), they will be less likely to partake in these activities.

media type="youtube" key="InzDjH1-9Ns" height="199" width="358" align="right" Schools can reduce the likelihood of students breaking copyright laws through education! There are many great resources available for teachers online. To the right is a video created by YouTube using the Happy Tree Friends to explain copyright infringement to kids. (YouTube, 2011) Teachers can use these pre-created resources to teach their students about copyright laws and infringement before it ever becomes a problem. Below are a few websites that have videos, worksheets, and other materials already created for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Resources for Teachers:
 * TeachingCopyright.org
 * CreativeCommons.org
 * CommonSenseMedia.org

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