1. Legal and Ethical Issues Associated with Modern
Technologies
Tameka Williams
AET 531
May 12, 2014
Dr. Carrie Lewis

2. Introduction
When developing instructional content, educators must
acknowledge the following legal and ethical guidelines:
• Intellectual Property
• Copyright Laws
• Fair Use
• Privacy Policies

3. Intellectual property can include anything that has been
developed or created by someone. In this technological
age, intellectual property is easy to create and simpler to access.
This ease in access blurs the lines as it relates to the use of
intellectual property. Copyrights and patents are two ways that
owners can protect their intellectual property.
Intellectual Property

4. Copyright is a law that safeguards original works upon
creation (Copyright.gov, 2006). Modern technology can
be transmitted throughout society via the world wide
web. This transmission, unfortunately, encourages
copyright infringement and difficult to regulate.
Authors of original works are confused as to how one
should feel about the technically advanced society. It is
pleasing to find original works can be spread to a wider
audience; however, it can also cause an increase in
improper and illegal use of the learning content.
Copyright

5. Fair Use
Fair use allows educators to share information as long as it is for
an educational purpose. There is a fine line between
acceptable and fair use and infringement. It is important that
educators research with an effort to completely understand
limitations.
“The law calls for a balanced
application of the four factors:
• purpose and character of the use
• nature of the copyrighted work
• amount and substantiality of the
portion used
• effect of the use upon the potential
market for/value of the copyrighted
work” (Crews, n.d., para 2).

6. Privacy policies outline the behavior that must be exhibited to
keep information safe and confidential. In today’s technologically
advanced world, one must be careful of viruses and other tools
that may gain access to the information. In an educational
institution, these policies are put in place to ensure
students, employees, and the organization itself how important
it is to keep the information private. This helps to build trust and
relationships in a world that is not very trustworthy.
Privacy Policy

7. Modern technology can blur the lines of infringement.
Educational institutions must remain aware of policies,
guidelines, and laws when using information to create
learning content.
It would be beneficial for educational institutions to:
• acknowledge intellectual property
• understand copyrighting laws
• abide by the fair use policy
• develop privacy policies to ensure fair practice.
Conclusion

8. References
• Copyright.gov. 2006. Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright.
Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-
general.html#what.
• Crews, K. (n.d.). What is Fair Use? Columbia University. Retrieved
from http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/fair-use/what-
is-fair-use/.