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Copyright-taster quiz

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false:

• You must register your copyright otherwise published materials are copyright free.
  • True
    • No. The default position is that all works are copyrighted as "all rights reserved". You should generally assume that all works are protected by copyright.
  • False
    • Correct. There is no requirement to "register" copyright. The default position is "all rights reserved" copyright. You should generally assume that all works are protected by copyright.
• You are free to repackage and sell content sourced from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
  • True
    • Correct. There are no commercial restrictions on repackaging Wikipedia content, as long as your products are licensed under the same license used by Wikipedia.
  • False
    • Incorrect. The copyright license used by Wikipedia does not restrict commercial activity on condition that you share your products under the same license.
• You are free to copy and reuse content which can be openly accessed on the web for educational purposes.
  • True
    • No. The fact that a resource is accessible on a public website does not necessarily change the copyright protections.
  • False
    • Correct. Public access on a website does not necessarily grant permissions for reusing and copying materials for educational purposes.
• You can reuse, adapt and modify content published in the Public Domain without attributing the source.
  • True
    • It depends. The public domain means that the holder has waived all copyrights including the requirement for attribution in the case of a work dedicated to the public domain. However, in some countries, it is not possible to waive moral rights (attribution). Frrom an ethical perspective, attributing your sources is the right thing to do.
  • False
    • It depends. While attributing your sources is the right thing to do -- there is not necessarily a legal requirement to attribute the source of works in the public domain. However, the question of moral rights may arise depending on a number of factors.
• You will not infringe copyright as long as you don't make money from the use of the materials.
  • True
    • Incorrect. Generally speaking, copyright protections apply irrespective of whether money changes hands.
  • False
    • Correct. The reuse of all rights reserved materials without permission of the copyright holder for non-profit purposes would constitute a breach of copyright.
• If there is no copyright symbol or notice, then you can assume the work is copyright free.
  • True
    • Incorrect. The absence of a copyright notice does not mean that holder has abandoned copyright. You should assume the default position of "all rights reserved" copyright.
  • False
    • Correct. The default position when the author has not otherwise indicated copyright is that the work is copyrighted as "all rights reserved". You should generally assume that all works are protected by copyright.
• If the materials use a Creative Commons license, you are free to reuse, adapt, mix and modify these resources for educational purposes.
  • True
    • Incorrect. The permissions and restrictions associated with a Creative Commons license depends on the type of Creative Commons license used.
  • False
    • Yes. You must confirm which type of Creative Commons license is used in order to determine the permissions for reuse.
• You may not sell a copyrighted book you own
  • True
    • Incorrect. Copyright does not restrict the property rights of the legal owner to sell or gift second-hand books. The design speficiations of a motor vehicle do not belong to the owner of a car, and this does not restrict the rights of ownership.
  • False
    • Correct. Copyright is not intended to restrict the free circulation of goods and the principle of exhaustion permits owners of books to resell or gift physical books.

Acknowledgement: Some questions in this quiz were inspired by "Some common misconceptions" by smartcopying.

Origins of copyright

Quiz

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false:

• The origins of plagiarism can be traced to society's moral conviction that it is wrong to copy someone's work
  • True
    • Incorrect. No. The notion of plagiarism did not exist prior to the inception of copyright. Only since the introduction of copyright did it become legally and socially unaceptable to copy without attributing the author.
  • False
    • Correct. Plagiarism is more of a historical construct than a moral issue, albeit that today we consider the act of copying to be ethically questionable in the absence of attributing the original author.
• Copyright was first introduced to protect the rights of the copyright holder.
  • True
    • Incorrect. Copyright was originally introduced to restrict the rights of the copyright holder.
  • False
    • Correct. The concept of copyright was introduced as the "Act for the Encouragement of Learning" thus promoting the right to copy.