Copyright and Plagiarism

Question 1

Why do we need copyright?

Answer 1

You spend your time doing it.
How can you make money?
What you create may take a lot something creative from it of time, money and work
You end up with a single unique product that can only be sold once
Controlling who gets to make copies, is the only way to make money from what you made

Question 2

Define copyright

Answer 2

Copyright is a law that protects anything that people create that can be copied and sold

Question 3

In terms of most countries, what happens with copyright?

Answer 3

In most countries (SA included) copyright automatically exists as soon as a work has been created

Question 4

How does one protect their work?

Answer 4

To protect an idea for a way of doing or making something, you need to register a patent

Question 5

What does copyright apply to?

Answer 5

*written content
*software
*music, sound recordings or compositions, video recordings
*wide variety of art

Question 6

What happens to creative works that are no longer under copyright?

Answer 6

Creative works that are no longer under copyright are in the Public domain and can be used without having to pay

Question 7

What is the duration of copyright?

Answer 7

Duration varies depending on where the work was created

Question 8

What is the duration of copyright in South Africa?

Answer 8

In South Africa – 50 years from the first broadcast or the writer’s death

Question 9

What is the duration of copyright in America?

Answer 9

In America – generally 70 years. After that, anyone can use it freely.

Question 10

Who gives their content away?

Answer 10

Many artists give up copyright in the hope of becoming known more quickly. They assign it to the public domain via a Creative Commons Zero license

Question 11

What does many educational intuitions do?

Answer 11

Educational institutions often publish learning material in the public domain This way it’s freely available to anyone without restrictions

Question 12

How is it possible to use copyrighted material?

Answer 12

A quote from a poem for a school project or ▪ Short clips of a music video in a YouTube
review

Question 13

If you do use copyrighted material what should you acknowledge?

Answer 13

Acknowledge the source of the material

Question 14

Define plagiarism

Answer 14

Using someone else’s work as your own

Question 15

What does plagiarism apply to?

Answer 15

Applies to pictures, music, films, art and even speeches

Question 16

How do institutions detect plagiarism?

Answer 16

Use software such as Turnitin to detect plagiarism.
This can check if your work was copied from another source, or even from another learner!

Question 17

What happens if you are caught plagiarising?

Answer 17

school – you could get zero for your assignment.
university – even expulsion!

Question 18

How does one acknowledge the resource when it comes to plagiarism?

Answer 18

At the specific place where you use the information (known as a citation)
▪ A description of the source at the end of your assignment (known as a bibliography).

Question 19

What is referencing?

Answer 19

The ‘place’ where you find your information is known as your source – a website, book, YouTube video, etc.