Law Homework Help

Lessig founded the Creative Commons, which uses “copyleft” instead of “copyright.”  Discuss pros and cons of copyleft vs copyright.  Can real world copyright laws be enforced on the Internet?

PART 2 – write 3 replies to student’s on their discussion posts 75-100 words ( I WILL GIVE YOU THEIR DISCUSSION POSTS ONCE YOU ASSIGNED TO THE QUESTION)

This is the first student‘s discussion you have to reply in 100 words:

The tension between intellectual property protection and innovation seems to be stronger as technology brings new ways to interact and distribute information. Companies and creators worry about how technology can be leveraged to be used in favor and also against them. I believe that is a fair way of thinking but we must remember that corporations use their power against the common good sometimes, asking for copyrights extensions which goes in contrary to the constitution (source slides).

Regarding enforcing real-world copyrights on the Internet, it could be set with a mix as Lessig explained, because ignoring the other factors in the violations of copyright, norms, code, and market, creates lesser if no effect in blocking or stopping people from violating such laws.

I found interesting the idea of copyleft because this general use can bring benefits for everyone using the platform or software. This reminded me when working in open source projects, you generally do not need to know all the tech parts of the project, but work in a specific area, and others do the same, and in the end, the product and users win. However, copyrights are a way of protecting certain creators and companies, because products require an investment that needs to be returned to investors, and copyrights are a way investors, workers, and whoever was involved in the creation of the project can earn their share of the profits. Copyrights prevent the copying or selling of work not authorized by owners, while the copyleft method lets you modify software or documentation and distribute it back to the community. The copyleft brings this idea of community ownership or collaboration, in contrast to the copyright where the original work is not copied from another source, but an original work, and if someone wants to work on it (as an adaptation for example), they must buy the copyright from owners.

Both cases, in my opinion, have their own use cases, because private companies rely on copyright on their business model which protects their customers, and their revenue stream and return of investment. Microsoft is an example because customers rely on its systems, Microsoft is reliable if anything happens. In contrast, there is no central authority to rely on when using an open-source application, you just trust the community.

References:

– Lessig, Lawrence (MIT). Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0. Basic Books, 2006.

– Difference between Copyright and Copyleft in FOSS (March 31, 2021). GeeksforGeeks. Available at https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/difference-between-copyright-and-copyleft-in-foss/#:~:text=Copyrights%20protects%20you%20original%20ideas,ideas%20and%20give%20them%20back.&text=While%20Copyleft%20allows%20users%20to,rights%20as%20the%20original%20work.

The 3rd student discussion post you have to reply on:

Introduction

Creative Commons is an active international non-profit organization that gives authors of an article a license that allows authors of an article to publicize their work. It is done by giving other people the power to share copyrighted work with the public. Creative commons were founded in 2001 by Lessig and other board of directors. Creative commons were funded to help the author of an article overcome the problems associated with their line of work of enhancing creativity while addressing the world’s disasters (Cacchiani, 2020). Creative Commons has adopted the copyleft license, which grants other people the authority to freely modify intellectual work. However, there are some challenges faced when copyleft license is used when compared to Copyright.

Pros of Copyleft Vs. Copyright

Copyleft

Copyright

Since a copyleft license is a public license, no charges are accrued in using it, and it is free of charge

Since it is private, it prevents unauthorized copying of work

Also, with copyleft, one is allowed to customize their company’s work upon purchasing a copyleft license freely

The result is original from the source and not copy-pasted. There is no access to the author’s ideas

After modification of software by the developer, the software is availed to the company for free use.

Lastly, is private legal purchase is required for o00other users to use it.

Cons of Copyleft Vs. Copyright

Copyleft

Copyright

since the software is public, no user can claim it, and when in use, the company’s source code is attached to it

The owner has limited time for distribution and dissemination

The Law of copyleft is strict, and the terms in it hinder other companies from using the software

The author is not allowed to share their work. For copyright filing, registration fees are required

The law of free future use of the software by other users may bring conflict between developers and future users

It can be hacked, and therefore, it is sustainable to steal.

It is hectic to enforce copyright laws on the internet because the internet has access to everything worldwide. Copyright laws may hinder the internet from viewing some graphic audio and videos, original texts, and other laments.

Conclusion

Copyrighted work mostly favors the author of the article than the public because of the enforcements put in by the company

References

Cacchiani, S. (2020). Copyright & copyleft: knowledge mediation at the interface of law and computer technology.

THE SECOND STUDENT POST 

Copyrights exist in order to protect authors of documentation or software from unauthorized copying or selling of their work. On the other hand, a Copyleft provides a method for software or documentation to be modified, and distributed back to the community, provided it remains Libre. The main idea behind copyright is that creators restrict what others can or cannot do with their works and must grant individual permission to do otherwise. Rather, copyleft licenses are a subset of copyright licenses, and the goal is to restore freedom to users.(Lee)

I think pricewide, copyleft is good for consumers. One of the greatest benefits of copyleft licenses is that the availability of the source code while copyright licenses are typically restricted to contracting support from the original supplier. Copyleft also encourages innovation because developers can use the code to create products that are more efficient and stable-even some argue that financial incentives make innovation through copyright licenses more likely. However, from a security perspective, copyleft might not be a good choice since hackers may have an easier time exploiting open-source software. Also, if there is a breach, there may be no one to turn to for a solution. Breaches may end up being more expensive because users have to provide their own support.

Internet copyright laws give the original authors or artists the right to exclude others from copying their work or claiming it as their own. While online copyright protection does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, it may protect the way these things are expressed. The copyright laws apply on the internet just as they apply to more traditional media. Penalties can be as high as $150,000 for each copyrighted work infringed.

Work Cited:

“Copyright vs. Copyleft.” GNU.ORG, https://www.gnu.org/gwm/libredocxml/x53.html.

Lee, Joel. “Copyleft vs. Copyright: 3 Key Concepts You Need to Know.” MUO, 2018, https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/copyleft-copyright-key-concepts/.

Editors, AF. “Intellectual Propeerty: The Yin and Yang of Copyright and Copyleft.” AF, 2004, https://americasfuture.org/intellectual-property-the-yin-and-yang-of-copyright-and-copyleft/.

“Copyright Law on the Internet.” LawFirms, https://www.lawfirms.com/resources/technology-law/technology-and-intellectual-property/copyright-internet.htm.

“Do Copyright Laws Apply on the Internet?” Copyrightalliance.org, 2020, https://copyrightalliance.org/faqs/do-copyright-laws-apply-on-the-internet/.