Unintentional violations of intellectual property

Most teachers are used to photocopying reference books, exam questions, and exercises to give to students. However, few people know that this action can violate copyright under the Intellectual Property Law.

Vietnamese law allows fair use of works for teaching purposes, but not all photocopying is considered fair. If a teacher photocopies a few pages from a thick book to illustrate a lecture, it is acceptable, but if he photocopies an entire supplementary textbook or workbook to give to the whole class, it is a violation because it significantly reduces the author's and publisher's revenue.

The problem is that the law does not specify how many pages are allowed to be photocopied, and how many copies are considered reasonable. This vague boundary makes it easy for teachers to accidentally violate the law. Meanwhile, the legal responsibility lies with both teachers and schools when organized violations occur.

Another common task is that teachers often download music from YouTube and images from Google when making lecture slides and teaching videos . Many people mistakenly believe that everything on the internet is free and can be used freely. In fact, all songs, images, and videos are copyrighted as soon as they are created, regardless of whether they are registered or not. When teachers use these resources without permission, it is a violation of copyright. The risk is even higher when schools post lecture videos containing infringing content on websites and fanpages, turning personal behavior into public violations that are easily detected and handled.

Nowadays, finding information is extremely easy, but plagiarism has never been so common. Students copy articles from Wikipedia, ChatGPT, personal blogs and then submit their assignments without citing the source. This is not only academic cheating but also copyright infringement. The root cause is that students are not taught how to cite sources and rewrite ideas in their own words.

In addition, there are seemingly harmless behaviors that violate the law without students knowing. These include taking photos of classmates, recording clips of friends during extracurricular activities and posting them on Facebook and TikTok without asking for permission. The law considers this a violation of image rights, a part of personal rights. In addition, schools also need to have clear regulations on the use of student images in activities, avoiding posting student photos on school fanpages without asking for parents' permission.

Nowadays, many schools encourage students to do science projects and small inventions under the guidance of teachers. But when the product is successful and is submitted to provincial or national competitions, the question arises: Who is the owner? Can the student be named as the author? Does the school have the right to use this product for promotion? The law stipulates: the author of the work is the person who created it. If the student comes up with the idea and implements it, then they are the author. A teacher who only guides is not a co-author, unless there is a real creative contribution. The school also does not automatically own a student's product just because it was done during class time or using school facilities.

Intellectual property education does not necessarily have to start with complex concepts such as patents, trademarks, trade secrets, etc. It needs to start with what teachers, students, and schools do every day. Only when teachers and students understand and practice these basic intellectual property rights can education about inventions and entrepreneurship using intellectual property have a solid foundation. Because respecting the rights of others is the first step to protecting your own rights.

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