Thursday, April 17, 2008

Students' Lecture Notes Infringe on Professor's Copyright

I wrote my 20 page senior thesis on copyright infringement, this however doesnt make me an expert. With that being said, in my opinion the students actual notes are not copyright infringement, its repackaging and sale is though. In order for something to fall under the fair-use umbrella the purpose and character of the use is examined. The distinct purpose of the notes is not to help students in the class but to make money, I believe this makes it infringement. There is however no right or wrong answer to this question, although rules are in place, the rulings are on a case by case basis. The ruling is ultimately up to the judge's interpretation of fair use, and if he's liberal or conservative.

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