6.3 Understanding Copyright and Using Information Responsibly
Intellectual Property Rights
In a world where information and publications are easily accessible, it is important not to ignore copyright. It is essential for students to learn how to use information responsibly and respect intellectual property rights.
There are several types of copyright-free and copyright-friendly licenses:
- Public domain
- Royalty-free
- Open educational resources (OER)
- Creative Commons
Public Domain
Work is in the public domain when it is no longer protected by copyright. In Canada, this automatically occurs fifty years after the creator's death unless the estate or agent of the deceased has extended the copyright registration. Permission is not required for the use of works in the public domain. However, attribution is still required to show respect for the creator, in an academic setting especially."
Source: Library Learning Commons
Creative Commons Licenses
"Creative Commons provides an alternative form of licensing and has only been available for the past decade. Creators who want to share their work easily but also want to retain their moral rights to the work often use Creative Commons licensing because it allows them to grant various copyright permissions free of charge."
Source: Library Learning Commons
Open Educational Resources
"Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under the copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others."
Source: Unesco
Royalty-free
"A royalty is an ongoing fee paid for each use of licensed work. A royalty-free license means that the terms of the license are for initial and ongoing use. No additional fees need to be paid."
Source: Library Learning Commons