A recent White paper provided by the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society contends that copyright law represents one of the major obstacles to the use of the Internet in education. Their paper provides a nice summary of copyright law (copyright fundamentals) and through several case studies examines some significant areas of frustration. As an instructor, this resource would make a good “assigned reading” and provide a nice way to generate discusison.
I find myself identifying with the examples and situations the authors provide, but I also identify with a party not well represented in this review – those who created the content being copied. While it is true that without copyright it would be easier to access content, utilize content effectively in instructor presentations and incorporate content in student authored products, I feel the authors of this review make a fundamental assumption that may not be realistic. Would the content exist without the protections afforded by copyright law? When I read the white paper, my reaction is often – it would be nice to be able to that, but if you could do that someone else might do this.
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