LECTURES FOR:

COMM 435 – Computers & Communication

Spring, 2003

Class 83/19/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • Return today – Graded C1
  • Return today – Graded Midterm Exam
  • WSE1 - Due Today
  • Rating Class Participation for the week
  • Grade status/sheets

Readings for Today:

  • R7-9: Virus Hoaxes, Urban Legends, Internet Addiction
  • DB4: Cultural Studies in Cyberspace
  • T25: Zuboff: In the Age of the Smart Machine

Lecture:

  • Intellectual Property

Discussion

  • Choose C2 topics
  • Internet Addiction
  • A Rape in Cyberspace
  • What works online (Long vs. short messages?)
  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Intellectual Property

Patent

  • A property right granted by the federal government
  • A document fully disclosing an invention
  • Ideas are not patentable, only “things”
  • Patents last for 20 years

Criteria - it must be:

  • Novel invention
  • Useful
  • Not obvious

Major Patent Issue Affecting Technologies Sector

  • Software Patents

Copyright

  • Criteria - it must be:
  • An original work
  • An expression of ideas (not simply ideas)
  • Fixed in a tangible medium of expression

The Rationale

  • To encourage people to share ideas and inventions
  • To ensure compensation for people who create ideas and inventions

Categories of Works Covered

  • Literary
  • Musical
  • Dramatic
  • Choreographic
  • Pictorial, graphic & sculptural
  • Film and audio-visual
  • Sound recordings

Copyright Holders Have the (Economic) Right to

  • Reproduce (in same or different formats)
  • Perform
  • Publish
  • Adapt
  • Translate
  • Transmit
  • Authorize (others)

Copyright is a bundle of separate rights

  • Rights are distinctive and exclusive
  • Can award hardcover vs. softcover publishing rights
  • Live vs. TV
  • Separate by geographic area
  • Grant for limited time

Assignment/Ownership of Copyright

  • Creator of a work is automatically the owner
  • Authors assign ownership to others when it is
  • The assigned work of employees
  • Work for hire
  • The author retains “moral” rights to the work
  • Rights of Paternity
  • Right to claim authorship
  • Right to remain anonymous
  • Rights of Integrity
  • Right to prevent certain changes
  • Rights of Association
  • Right to prevent certain uses
  • Moral rights are personal rights
  • Moral rights can be waived, but not sold or transferred

Duration of Copyright

  • If created since 1978
  • The author’s life + 70 years
  • Works for hire: 95 years from date of publication
  • If created before 1978
  • 28 years, with renewal for 47 years (total: 75 years)
  • 1998: another 20 year renewal added

The Doctrine of Fair Use

  • A limit on the economic rights of copyright holders
  • Criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research
  • Criteria for fair use:
  • Non-profit purpose (educational, etc.)
  • The nature of the copyrighted work
  • Proportion of the work used
  • Economic effect on the potential market

Exercise

List all instances (activities) you can think of in the last 12 months where you were (or may have been) in violation of U.S. Copyright law. Be specific – exactly what did you do?

Copyright “T/F” Questions

Intellectual Property is an Ancient Principle.

Intellectual Property is recognized worldwide.

Without intellectual property, few people would produce original work.

Intellectual Property is necessary to create incentives for the production of original works.

Weakening intellectual property law would result in substandard literature, art, music, and the like.

Intellectual property follows directly from the notion of physical property.

Choose a C2 Topic

  1. Due Week 11 – 4/9

Possible Topics:

  • The History of the Concept of Intellectual Property
  • The Evolution of U. S. Copyright Law since the Constitution
  • U.S. Patent Law
  • Copyright & Music Royalties
  • Copyright & File Sharing Technology & Issues
  • Copyright & Fair Use
  • Copyright & the Kinko’s Case
  • Copyright & Breaking DVD / CD Protection
  • Copyright & Software / CD / Video / DVD Piracy in the USA
  • Copyright & Software / CD / Video / DVD Piracy Overseas
  • The Impact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998)
  • Copyright & the Napster Case
  • Copyright & Microsoft’s Effort to Limit Theft of Software

Class 93/26/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • WSE1 – Next Week
  • Grade status/sheets – on my door

Readings for Today:

  • R13
  • DB7
  • SB12

Lecture:

  • Student presentations - Teich Chapters

Discussion

  • Internet Addiction
  • What works online (Long vs. short messages?)
  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Class 104/2/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • None

Readings Discussed online in the last week:

  • R13: Public Key Encryption
  • DB7: Bodies in Cyberculture
  • SB12: Disruptive Online Behavior

Readings for Today:

  • R14: Genders without Bodies
  • DB8: Cyber Subcultures
  • SB9: Online Games

Lecture:

  • Student Presentations - Teich Chapters – part 2

Discussion

  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Class 114/9/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • C2 – Due today (hand in hard copy now)

Readings Discussed online in the last week:

  • R14: Genders without Bodies
  • DB8: Cyber Subcultures
  • SB9: Online Games

Readings for Today – Discussion this coming week:

  • R15: No R15 - Cancelled
  • DB9-10: Researching Cyber Subcultures; Last Words

Lecture:

  • Tour of GMU Data Center
  • Monitoring, Surveillance & Privacy

Discussion

  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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E-mail

  1. Write clear messages., 8 votes, 17.02%
  2. Use subject lines., 7 votes, 14.89%
  3. Use appropriate language., 4 votes, 8.51%
  4. Know who you are sending the e-mail to and specify your audience., 4 votes, 8.51%
  5. Do not send an e-mail in anger. Avoid flaming by calming down before you send the e-mail., 6 votes, 12.77%
  6. Know when it is appropriate to use formal and informal language., 4 votes, 8.51%
  7. Promptly respond, acknowledge receipts, send reply, 5 votes, 10.64%
  • Make certain that you attach a file to your e-mail message when you mention an attachment in the body of the message and make sure that the attachment does not contain a virus., 3 votes, 6.38%
  • Use a complete and informative signature
  • Use proper grammar, lanuguage, punctuation, subject line, 2 votes, 4.26%
  • Make long messages into attachments., 1 votes, 2.13%
  • Allow for some grammar and spelling mistakes wih informal e-mails., 2 votes, 4.26%
  • Do not use a lot of graphics or write in text format

Class 124/16/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • None

Readings Discussed online in the last week:

  • R15: No R15 - Cancelled
  • DB9-10: Researching Cyber Subcultures; Last Words

Readings for Today – Discussion this coming week:

  • R16: Video Surveillance
  • SB13: Anonymity, Privacy, & Copyright

Lecture:

  • Student Presentations – Critique 2
  • The History of the Concept of Intellectual Property
  • The Evolution of U. S. Copyright Law since the Constitution
  • U.S. Patent Law
  • Copyright & Music Royalties
  • Copyright & File Sharing Technology & Issues
  • Copyright & Fair Use

Discussion

  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Class 134/23/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • C2 – Due today (hand in hard copy now)

Readings Discussed online in the last week:

  • R16: Video Surveillance
  • SB13: Anonymity, Privacy, & Copyright

Readings for Today – Discussion this coming week:

  • R17: Spam
  • SB14: Democracy and the Internet

Lecture:

  • Student Presentations – Critique 2
  • Copyright & Breaking DVD / CD Protection
  • Copyright & Software / CD / Video / DVD Piracy in the USA
  • The Impact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (1998)
  • Copyright & the Napster Case
  • Copyright & Microsoft’s Effort to Limit Theft of Software

Discussion

  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Lists

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Class 144/30/2003Communication 435

Housekeeping:

  • Web Site – Due today
  • Other Online Activity Due today (hand in hard copy now)

Readings Discussed online in the last week:

  • R17: Spam
  • SB14: Democracy and the Internet

Readings for Today:

  • R18: The Virtual Panopticon
  • R19: Escaping the Panopticon

Discussion this coming week NONE

(Although those who have fallen behind may make up some points by contributing this week.)

Lecture / Discussion

  • Monitoring, Surveillance & Privacy
  • Discussion: Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Discussion Boards
  • Comparing 5 Conferencing Packages

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See the web site for final versions of:

  • Comm Competence in E-mail, IM, Discussion Boards
  • Comparing 5 Conferencing Packages

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