Copyright

UNDERSTANDING COPYRIGHT IN E-LEARNING CONTEXTS

Copyright refers to the ownership rights assigned to the author or creator of an original piece of work whether this is subject matter, illustrations, audio or video clips. An original work is automatically protected upon creation, implying that the creator of the work does not need to formally file a registration to gain the copyright entitlement.

It is practical to assume that all materials- whether in print, digital, audio or visual format- are copyrighted and, therefore, should not be re-produced in any form without permission from the copyright holder. In the internet age, where vast sources of materials are easily obtainable online, additional caution needs to be exercised to prevent breaching the copyright of digital resources when presented with the option of copying, scanning or downloading these materials.

In general, a copyright term remains valid for a period of 70 years after the author’s decease, with this term being reduced to 50 years after the creator’s death in case of resources like audio and video. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that materials are either free of copyright protection or to seek copyright clearance before utilising them. ^[1]
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