April 24, 1996

Ethics and Intellectual Property Resources on the Web

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In This Article

Information for Educators

Debate on the NII White Paper

General Resources on Intellectual Property and Ethics on Line

Related Articles

Struggling to Teach Virtual Ethics

Why Johnny Can't Tell Copyright From Wrong

Forum

Join a Discussion on the Ethics of Ownership in Cyberspace

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Information for Educators

Murry Bergtraum High School's web site includes Ted Nellen's Cyber English and Senior English classes, where Miguel Morales and Kishon Plummer have home pages.

Paul Reese has been using the internet to teach at Ralphe Bunche Elementary School for three and a half years.

Nancy Willard has created a guide to K-12 Acceptable Use Policies, with a detailed analysis of Plagiarism and Copyright issues.

The Computer Learning Foundation provides a variety of educational materials on computer use.

The Institute for Learning Technologies Web site includes a Copyright Guide for educators.

In addition to "Don't Copy That Floppy," The Software Publishers Association runs a web-based Anti-Piracy Campaign, and a guide to Copyright Information for Educators.

Debate on the NII White Paper

The Commerce Department's National Information Infrastructure proposes revisions to copyright law for the on-line world in its September 1995 White Paper on intellectual property.

The Web site for the Kickstart Initiative includes guidelines on how to implement the White Paper's intellectual property recommendations in school and community settings.

The Digital Future Coalition is a lobbying group created "to work towards a thorough, broad and balanced Congressional debate of U.S. copyright law and policy." Its site includes material on pending Copyright Legislation, as well as links to other resources on the Web.

For a scathing indictment of the White Paper, see Pamela Samuelson's essay, "The Copyright Grab", in Wired. Samuelson also comments on the White Paper in her essay, "Legally Speaking: The NII Intellectual Property Report."

General Resources on Intellectual Property and Ethics on Line

The syllabus for Helen Nissenbaum's seminar, Computers, Ethics, and Social Responsibility at Princeton provides a detailed bibliography of print resources on computer ethics, as well as a guide to related links.

ICICX, the International Community Interconnected Computer eXchange, is developing a comprehensive computer ethics education program.

John Perry Barlow has written extensively on copyright and the Web, including his essay, Selling Wine Without Bottles: The Economy of Mind on the Global Net.

MIT's Richard Stallman discusses his philosophy of free software in MEME and in his essay, " Why Software Should Be Free."

The Electronic Frontier Foundation provides an exhaustive Intellectual Property Archive, including Mike Godwin's When Copying Isn't Theft. EFF also offers a list of offsite links on copyright issues.