Three students chose to work on a directed study project for Planned Parenthood Association.The project included the creation of a computer program for inventory control.The students went to the library to get a book on the topic.The book was in the reserve section,so the students made three copies of the four relevant pages so that they could study them.They used the ideas from the book and created an original program and a manual.Later,when the students were preparing a report for their presentation,they decided that the pages in the book exactly expressed the theoretical background they needed for the introduction.They copied those four pages and used them as their own for the beginning of their twenty page report.At the presentation,seven copies of the report were made (with the program and manual as appendices).Given these facts,which of the following is true?
A) Although the students have created a program and a manual as a project, they would own the copyright on the program and the manual unless they had agreed otherwise.
B) When the students made three copies of the few pages of the book for study purposes, that in itself was an infringement of copyright; they have no defence.
C) Using the ideas from the book was an infringement of copyright.
D) Copying the pages from the book for their report was fair dealing because it was exactly what they wanted to say about the theoretical basis of the report.
E) Because the copied pages were a very small part of the whole report, there was no infringement of copyright.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By default, the students own the copyright to the program and manual they created, unless they signed an agreement transferring the ownership of the copyright to Planned Parenthood Association.

Answer: B
 The act of making multiple copies of the relevant pages of the book for study purposes without permission from the copyright owner is considered an infringement of copyright. The students have no defence in this case.

Answer: C
 Using ideas from a book is not an infringement of copyright, as ideas cannot be copyrighted. However, if the students had copied substantial content (such as text or graphics) from the book without permission, that would have been an infringement of copyright.

Answer: D
 Copying the pages from the book for their report without permission from the copyright owner is still considered an infringement of copyright, regardless of whether it was fair dealing or not.

Answer: E
 The amount of the copied material is not the only consideration for determining whether an infringement of copyright has occurred. Even small amounts of copied material can still be an infringement if it is a substantial part of the original work.

Three Students Chose to Work on a Directed Study Project