Module 3 – Legal Issues – Copyright

According to the Copyright pages in the Curtin site, computer programs are classified as “literary works”. It also states that copyright protection is automatic, without needing to have the copyright symbol attached.

On the link regarding Intellectual Property it states that the Curtin University claims ownership of Intellectual Property created by Staff members in the course of their duties, but that the University doesn’t generally claim ownership of Intellectual Property created by students.

I probably have used images or words on my web page that contravene copyright laws in that I have taken screen shots of various programs to illustrate my findings or views. All the information in my various assignments has been fully referenced, and all other rantings and ravings on my blog are my own words. Some of those words have been tamed down, but they are all my own.

I ran the Fair Use Visualiser against the work in my blog, and came up with a Fair Use Score of 86. The Fair Use Wizard to calculate a Fair Use Score would not work when I tried to use it (came up with a runtime error of “Server Error in '/' Application), so I have no more information about what the Fair Use Score actually means. I’m not sure how useful this Visualiser is, given that the calculator asks me to complete it based on how I perceive my use of the information.

If I put the Curtin logo at the top of my web page for an assignment I MAY be in breach of copyright. If I said nothing else and just had the logo there, it would seem to anyone looking at my page that my blog was approved by the Curtin University or in someway representative of the Curtin University. If I had the Curtin University logo next to a post that stated something along the lines of “I am a student at Curtin University, they are giving me a wonderful education and here is their logo”, I’m not sure that I would be in breach of copyright. However, if I had the Curtin University logo next to a post that viewed the university in a negative light, then I’m sure that whether I was breaching copyright laws or not, Curtin University would be very upset with me and would probably have me in the courts rather quickly.