Academic and postgraduate student awareness of digital product copyright issues

Abstract

The presentation and sharing of information, especially in digital environments, have become significantly easier with information and communication technologies and this has caused an increase in copyright problems. The aim of this study is to reveal the levels of awareness of academic and postgraduate students of copyrights in relation to digital products. The survey model was used in research conducted with the participation of academicians working at different universities in Turkey and postgraduate students in the 2018-2019 academic year. According to the findings, the knowledge level of the participants regarding copyrights, license agreements and fair use is moderate, their knowledge level about open source software, free software and copyleft is low, and they do not commit copyright infringements apart from downloading computer programs. Those working in the field of informatics commit more copyright infringement than others (such as using unlicensed software, distributing license serial numbers, illegally downloading music, videos etc., using without reference), as also do those in the 20-25 age range. The majority of participants stated that policies to prevent infringement of copyright digital products were insufficient, there is a lack of information about enforcement and their reasons for the situation include the belief in not getting caught and no one getting hurt, as well as not seeing it as a crime.