The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of copyright law as it relates to computer software. The computer industry terminology, case law, and software protection by patents and trade secret legislation are examined, and it is argued that the protection of ownership rights of computer software poses major challenges to existing U.S.…

A study examined whether type of ownership affected editorial endorsement patterns and the impact of endorsements on voters. The endorsements of 51 California daily newspapers were tabulated for 25 statewide candidate races and 158 ballot propositions during elections of 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, and 1980. Each endorsement was judged to…

This publication presents 1982 data on business enterprises owned by Asian Americans, American Indians, and other minority races except Blacks and Hispanics for whom data was provided in earlier reports. This population of business owners was identified from tax forms and census data. In 1982 there were 255,642 firms with $17.9 billion in receipts…

This report traces the historical development of federal housing policy that has promoted a 40% decline in substandard housing and a 20% increase in homeownership over the past 50 years. It presents emerging national and rural housing policy concerns: the proper role of federal, state, and local governments in the mortgage credit and insurance…

The product of a detailed study of university copyright policies in Association of Research (ARL) Libraries, this System and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) flyer/kit approaches copyright use and ownership policies from the viewpoint of university administrations as well as libraries. A brief introduction discusses policies on use and ownership…

Issues of copyright infringement are contentious for academia in the online environment. The educational community on campus must carefully consider how digital materials are used, created and disseminated online given that present laws that regulate these actions are not well developed. It can seem like anyone's guess on how to proceed in order…

A survey found the most selective colleges were most likely to require or recommend student ownership of microcomputers, specify the brand, offer purchase discounts, and have a low ratio of students, faculty, and staff to each microcomputer. It also gathered information on microcomputer ownership, access, software, assistance, and illegal use.…

As higher education institutions move into forms of distance learning enabled by technologies such as video conferencing and the Internet, the ownership of course materials becomes an issue. Who owns these materials, the school or the individual? This paper describes the issue, covers two different views on ownership (i.e., comparing online course…

The Wisconsin case study school district is primarily urban and growing with 21,500 students on 40 campuses. This document contains case studies that are presented in the same format at the 2003 studies, but also have a focus on additional technologies beyond the base distributed computing model. These new technologies are voice/data integration,…

Presents three articles that examine, through the classroom experiences of the authors, important issues of ownership, authorship, and privacy in process writing classrooms: (1) "Use of Students' Writing as Models in the Classroom" (Karyn E. Schweiker-Marra); (2) Privacy Issues Regarding Workshops" (Mary Broglie); and (3)…

Discusses the evolution of authorship and copyright from the Middle Ages to the present. Highlights include the rise in literacy and increased demand; censorship and state-granted licenses; legislation; intellectual property and the means of production and dissemination as the basis for the publishing business; information access and copyright…

Discusses legal issues involved in developing and distributing multimedia publications. Examines libel; rights of publicity; and such elements of copyright law as copyright protections and infringements, fair use and public domain policies, and use of ideas and factual materials. Uses a hypothetical multimedia project to illustrate the legal rules…

Canada and Brazil have set a precedent for aboriginal lands rights cases in recent decisions to set aside homelands for indigenous peoples. Discusses these decisions, land claims settlements, ramifications, and outstanding issues in need of resolve. (MCO)

Explores the relationship between collection development and the system of scholarly communication in academic libraries. Ownership of versus access to information is discussed; use-based criteria are considered; and strategies for collection development in a networked electronic system are presented. (Contains 17 references.) (LRW)

Discusses the ethical challenges of information technology, particularly electronic indexes and the Internet; considers principles to guide students; and discusses possible librarian responses. Topics include Kant's categorical imperative, ownership, right to privacy, social responsibility, self-respect, plagiarism and copyrights, and three…