What does it mean to "own" information?
chip bruce
(chip@uiuc.edu)
(ready to use)
Coauthors
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Barbara Duncan, Nick Burbules |
ASK
Subject Areas
Grade Levels
Unit Keywords
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newlit, intellectual property, copyright,EPS304,LIS450NL,LIS391, lis491, class |
Open Directory Category
Background and Resources
BACKGROUND
In 563, St. Columba, the first copyright case
1453-55, printing press
1709, British Parliament, "The Statute of Anne," the world’s first copyright law
Thomas Jefferson the benefit of even limited monopolies is too doubtful, to be opposed to that of their general suppression. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.
1789, Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution:
The Congress shall have Power . . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries . . .
1790, first US copyright law (no protection for foreign works)
Walt Disney uses public domain Grimm's fairy tales to create new art forms
1935, Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"
1971, Michael Hart, Project Gutenberg
1980, Bayh-Dole: universities may patent government-funded research
In 1991, Feist v. Rural Telephone found the sweat of the brow doctrine unconstitutional. Copyright protection could extend only to expressive elements in compilations, and effort alone cannot convert facts into expression
December, 1996, The Shetland Times obtained a temporary court order enjoining The Shetland News from making hypertext links to their web page without charge.
Feb. 1, 1997, the (Brisbane) Courier-Mail published a column entitled, "When I am an Evil Overlord" apparently written by Helen Darville. But most of the column was taken verbatim from a web page compiled by Peter Anspach
Richard Stallman, Free Software Foundation: use, study, distribute, improve
1998, Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act: made the copyright term the life of the artist plus 70 years, up from life plus 50 years; also made the term for copyrights "created" by corporations 95 years, up from 75
1998, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): prohibits gaining unauthorized access to a work by circumventing a technological protection measure
DeCSS (CSS = "Content Scrambling System")
Jan. 9, 2002, Norway indicts teenager who published software that permits DVD owners to view DVDs on players that are not approved by the entertainment industry.
IP protection for databases (Europe vs. US), e.g., weather data
Creative Commons
READINGS
Ludlow, Peter. "Property rights, piracy, etc.: Does information "Want to be Free"?.
Lean, Michael M. Copyright and the World Wide Web.
Karen Lunsford - Real audio copy of a phone conference
WEB SITES
(2000, January 4). Copyright Issues Online, a useful collection of links from the Computer Chronicles television show, episode #1716. "The Internet has created a place where it is easy to find information and art to share. But what about copyright issues? Is everything free for the asking online? We'll show you software to protect your own site from being copied without your permission as well as discuss the latest issues involving newspapers and magazines re-printing their own articles online."
RESOURCES
Ellin, Abby (2000, August 6). The battle in cyberspace: Universities and professors debate ownership of materials on the web
Twigg, Carol A. (2000). Who owns online courses and course materials? Intellectual property policies for a new learning environment. The Pew Learning and Technology Program
Burk, Dan L. (1998). < href="http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/cem9826.html ">Ownership issues in online use of institutional materials. Cause/Effect
Intellectual Property Subcommittee (1999, May 18). Report on courseware development and distribution (revised)
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Dialogues, Discussions, and Presentations
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