The Effect of Copyright Piracy on Teachers
Before discussing the effect of copyright piracy on teachers, a couple of definitions should be helpful. A useful, working definition of copyright found at SearchSecurity.com is, “… the copyright law provides that the owner of a (an intellectual) property has the exclusive right to print, distribute, and copy the work, and permission must be obtained by anyone else to reuse the work in these ways.” Piracy is the duplication of copyrighted material which is used, sold, or given to others to use without permission.
In these days of the Internet and high technology, it is easier than ever to violate copyright. Computer programs, files, and pictures can easily be duplicated and distributed electronically. Many technology users don’t even believe they are breaking the law by sharing others’ work or property in this way.
One of the worst effects of copyright piracy is that it takes away the incentive to create. If companies or authors know that their work will be stolen and distributed to others, they may not be motivated to produce the product, or they may settle on producing a product that is of lower quality than it could have been. Lakhan states, “The lack of education concerning intellectual property has lead to infringement, disrespect for other’s ideas, nearly ten billion dollars of U.S. financial loss, and worst of all, the hindrance of creativity and ingenuity.” This can result in a lack of quality products being produced that can be used in the classroom.
Another effect of copyright piracy is to drive up the price of software and other educational materials. As noted in the preceding paragraph, copyright infringement results in an incredible monetary loss. Software companies and distributors may raise their prices in an attempt to recover some of the loss. Many schools and teachers cannot afford materials as it is. The result of this is that many teachers end up being copyright pirates themselves as they attempt to provide their students with relevant materials. Rothman quotes Friedman, “… inadequate funding caused a dilemma for the teachers who, while sensitive to the ethical problem of copying, were also unwilling to compromise students’ education.”
Copyright piracy (infringement) is a huge problem, not only within educational institutions, but throughout most of the world. In spite of laws, penalties, and anti-piracy measures, the problem continues.
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“What is Copyright?” Search Security.com. 27 Jun 2005. <http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci211841,00.html>
Lackhan, Shaheen E. ” Stop Piracy with Edification: Intellectual Property Education in School.” Nov, 2002. < http://cogprints.org/2935/01/SchoolIPEdu.pdf >.
Rothman, David H. “Copyright and K through 12: Who Pays in the Network Era?” The Future of Networking Technologies for Learning. 19 Sept. 2001. <http://www.ed.gov/Technology/Futures/rothman.html>