According to law, the expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way, such as a book or a computer file. (What is plagiarism?, 2010) Copyright does not prohibit all copying or replication. In the United States, the fair use doctrine, as determined by the Copyright Act of 1976, permits some copying and distribution without permission of or payment to the copyright holder. While fair use is not clearly defined, educators are presented important factors to consider in a fair use analysis. (Copyright, 2010)
The Forsyth County student and employee acceptable use policies list as prohibited conduct, posting or plagiarizing work, as well as using the school's computer for anything illegal, such as copying or downloading copyrighted software, music or images, or any violation of copyright laws. (Forsyth County Schools, 2007) Copyright and fair use policies are posted on Forsyth County high school websites (West Forsyth High School, 2010) and on the Forsyth County Schools website. (Forsyth County Schools, 2007) During in-service training, teachers are educated concerning copyright and fair use policies. During instructional focus classes, students are taught the meaning of plagiarism and its consequences.
After applicable teacher training, Forsyth County leaves employee adherence to fair use to the professional judgment of the individual teachers. Teachers in the Forsyth County schools utilize programs such as Turnitin, to detect student plagiarism. Turnitin is an integrated, web-based solution that enables educators to check papers for unoriginal material. (Turnitin, 2010)
Copyright. (2010). Retrieved on June 12, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
Forsyth county schools computers and network resources employee acceptable use guidelines. (2007). Retrieved June 9, 2010 from
http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/734820320132044943/lib/734820320132044943/JCES%20Technology%20Toolkit/Employee%20Acceptable%20Use%20Guidelines.pdf
West forsyth high school: Copyright and fair use (2008). Retrieved June 9, 2010 from
http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/132420721121149217/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=95689
What is plagiarism? (2010). Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html
Turnitin: News and releases (2010). Retrieved June 9, 2010 from http://www.turnitin.com/static/news.html
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