Awareness And Attitude Of University Students Towards Copyright Law On Internet Materials

The Larger percentage of undergraduates pay less attention to copyright law or intellectual property, plagiarism, fair use, paraphrasing and how to deal with them especially as it related to internet publications and materials. The research, therefore, aims at appraising copyright law awareness among students on the internet publication among Kwara State University, Malete with the sole objective to know if Internet publications or materials enjoy copyright law or not and to what extent, because plagiarism is a criminal offence in an academic sphere

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Copyright is a type of intellectual property right that protects certain original works. Copyright laws work to provide authors with exclusive rights to their works. In other words, any unauthorized use could amount to copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is a federal, civil cause of action. It occurs when a copyrighted works is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner. Infringement in this context includes piracy, plagiarism of text, using photocopying machines to produce several copies of copyrighted material, duplication of web pages, etc. There is increasing concern on the copyright infringement among undergraduate students in tertiary institution. For instance, (Aboyade, Aboyade and Ajala, 2015; Williams, 2005) postulated that copyright infringement is not a new phenomenon in the academic environment. This issue of copyright infringement usually affects the economy of the copyright owner. It is on this note that according to Moahi (2004) and Isiakpona, 2012), an understanding of copyright is particularly important in an academic, scholarly and artistic environment where creators are continuously using the influence. The increasing awareness of copyright law and possible punishment for violating the law was rated as the most fundamental way of reducing copyright infringement. Information is usually viewed as very vital to undergraduate students. It could also be seen as the driving force behind the development of different sectors in any nation (Ifidon, 1999). People in different spheres of life (including undergraduate students) need information about new developments and techniques to improve existing practices and better their lives. The type of information transferred varies from person to person and from society to society and with time. Copyright infringement takes place (either consciously or unconsciously). This is because a reasonable number of undergraduate students cannot afford to purchase textbooks. They therefore look for alternative means of acquiring these learning resources. Studies have shown that only 5% of students in higher institutions can afford to purchase textbooks needed for learning and research and as a result, these students tend to engage in the act of photocopying, thereby infringing on the copyright of the author. (Ogunronbi and Bello, 1999). Institutions today provide students with well-designed learning packages available on the course websites that have been created by the authors as a support service for the students (Selim, 2005). The copyright law does not cover any course materials that are transmitted or taught through distance learning or digital transmission. Thus, the author"s work is unprotected (Mason 1998) and dispute remains on the royalties of the work (Princeton, 1996). Changes appeared after the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty 1996, where the technology-specific transmission type-rights were extended to wireless broadcast rights and limited cable diffusion rights. These rights are applicable to work made available on the internet and transmitted to the public (Dunning, 2006). The Act does not define "public"; but the court held that communication to individuals in a private or domestic setting can be constituted as "public" (Telstar, 1997). The Copyright Act 1957 was established to promote art and science for the advantage of the public and to protect the work of authors (Sony, 1984). However, growing concern occurring causes threats to the copyright owner (Fraser, 1997). Such lack of awareness and knowledge of the copyright infringement is escalating among the learners of university students. This study aims to investigate awareness and attitude of university students towards copyright laws on internet materials.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Literature, both recent and past has established that copyright laws are very important for better creativity on the part of the authors and protection of intellectual content of their work. However, it is not certain if information users actually have a reasonable level of knowledge of these copyright laws as a means of protecting the intellectual creativity of respective authors. They might have reasonable level of knowledge of these but still infringe on the laws. It is also believed that in Nigeria, the copyright law is not as effective as expected since no proper mechanism is put in place to curb infringement. Various forms of infringement are still practised on a reasonable scale in higher institution of learning despite the copyright laws. The concern of this study therefore is to determine the level of knowledge and the different perceptions of undergraduate students in the University of Ibadan on the issue of copyright law and its infringement.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The objectives of the study are;

To ascertain the level of awareness of students towards copyright laws on internet materials

To ascertain the relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and the copyright laws on internet materials

To ascertain the relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and academic performance

To ascertain the factors that lead to infringement of copyright law

1.4 Research Hypotheses

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;

H0: there is no level of awareness of students towards copyright laws on internet materials
H1: there is level of awareness of students towards copyright laws on internet materials

H02: there is no relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and the copyright laws on internet materials
H2: there is relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and the copyright laws on internet materials

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study will give clear insight on awareness and attitude of university students towards copyright laws on internet materials. The study will be beneficial to students, lecturers, internet materials owners and the general public. The study will help to know whether the materials on internet affect academic performance of students. The study will help other researchers who want to embark on this topic.

1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study

The scope of the study covers awareness and attitude of students towards copyright laws on internet material. The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities

1.7 Definition of Terms

Awareness:

Awareness is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. More broadly, it is the state of being conscious of something.

Attitude:

Attitude is a psychological construct, a mental and emotional entity that inheres in, or characterizes a person. They are complex and an acquired state through experiences.

University:

A university is an institution of higher education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines. Universities typically provide undergraduate education and postgraduate education.

Copyright Law:

Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution. This is usually only for a limited time. The exclusive rights are not absolute but limited by limitations and exceptions to copyright law, including fair use.

Internet Material:

Everything on the Internet in the "public domain"? The term "public domain" is used in a couple of different ways: (i) for material in which all copyright has expired, and (ii) for material, such as software, where the copyright owner gives very broad permissions to people to use it freely

1.8 Organization of the Study

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study.

Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature.

Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study.

Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.

Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Introduction

It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain awareness and attitude of university students towards copyright laws on internet materials

In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of university students towards copyright laws on internet materials

5.2 Summary

This study was on awareness and attitude of university students towards copyright laws on internet materials. Four objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the level of awareness of students towards copyright laws on internet materials, to ascertain the relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and the copyright laws on internet materials, to ascertain the relationship between attitude of university students towards internet materials and academic performance, to ascertain the factors that lead to infringement of copyright law. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of Kwara state university. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up heads of department, lecturers, senior lecturers and junior lecturers were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies

5.3 Conclusion

The study also revealed that majority of undergraduate students infringe on copyright laws mostly through photocopying and the major reason for infringement of these laws by undergraduates is because of the high cost of purchasing. It was also observed that majority of the undergraduate students infringe on copyright law as a result of the non availability of printed learning resources and majority of the undergraduate students infringe on copyright laws as a result of the high cost of purchasing printed learning resources, this finding varies from the study carried out by Ogunrombi and Bello(1999), which revealed that majority of undergraduate students infringe on copyright as a result of scarcity of these printed resources

5.4 Recommendation

It is therefore recommended that the libraries in higher institutions should be well equipped with enough and relevant printed/literary resources that will be readily available and assessable by the students when needed, this will help to reduce the rate of photocopying in higher institutions. The learning resources available in the library should also be in multiple copies, this will enable different users borrow and use the materials at the same time.

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