CS: Intellectual Property: Copyright and Creative Commons Worksheet

Question 1

In your own words, explain what intellectual property means in computer science. Give two examples of intellectual property that a student might create.

Accepted Answer

Intellectual property is something created by a person's mind that can have ownership rights. In computer science, examples include a video game, a website design, source code, digital art, music for an app, or a tutorial video.

Question 2

Maya writes original code for a simple maze game and draws her own characters. Does she automatically own the copyright to her code and drawings? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Yes, Maya automatically owns the copyright to her original code and drawings once she creates them in a fixed form, such as saved files. Copyright protects her creative work even if she does not register it.

Question 3

A student finds a cool image on a website and copies it into a public game project without checking the license or asking permission. Explain why this may be a problem.

Accepted Answer

This may be a problem because images on websites are usually protected by copyright. The student needs permission, a license, or a clear reason such as fair use before reusing the image in a public project.

Question 4

A photo is licensed CC BY. What does this license allow you to do, and what must you include if you use the photo in a class website?

Accepted Answer

A CC BY license allows you to share and adapt the photo, including in many types of projects. You must give appropriate credit to the creator, include the license name, and provide a link to the source when possible.

Question 5

A song is licensed CC BY-NC. Jordan wants to use it as background music in a game that will be sold for money. Is this allowed under the license? Explain.

Accepted Answer

No, this is not allowed under CC BY-NC because NC means noncommercial. Jordan would need to choose a different song or get separate permission from the copyright owner to use it in a game sold for money.

Question 6

A drawing is licensed CC BY-SA. Lena edits the drawing and uses it in her own comic. What does ShareAlike require Lena to do if she shares the comic publicly?

Accepted Answer

ShareAlike requires Lena to share her adapted version under the same or a compatible license. She must also give appropriate credit to the original creator.

Question 7

A video clip is licensed CC BY-ND. Sam wants to cut the clip, add funny text, and post the edited version online. Is this allowed by the license? Explain.

Accepted Answer

No, this is not allowed by the CC BY-ND license because ND means no derivatives. Sam can share the original clip with credit, but cannot share an edited version unless the creator gives permission.

Question 8

Compare public domain and copyrighted work. Write one sentence about each and explain how they are different.

Accepted Answer

A public domain work is not protected by copyright and can usually be used without permission. A copyrighted work is owned by a creator or rights holder, so reuse may require permission or a license.

Question 9

A student uses a short clip from a documentary in a school presentation about ocean pollution. The presentation is shown only in class and includes a citation. Explain why this might be fair use, but not guaranteed fair use.

Accepted Answer

This might be fair use because it is for education, uses a short portion, includes credit, and is not being sold. It is not guaranteed because fair use depends on several factors, including purpose, amount used, type of work, and effect on the market.

Question 10

Write a good attribution for this image: Title: Forest Path, Creator: Ana Rivera, License: CC BY 4.0, Source: anarivera.example/forest-path.

Accepted Answer

A good attribution is: Forest Path by Ana Rivera, licensed under CC BY 4.0, from anarivera.example/forest-path. This gives the title, creator, license, and source.

Question 11

Match each Creative Commons condition to its meaning: BY, NC, SA, ND. Write the meaning of each condition.

Accepted Answer

BY means you must give credit to the creator. NC means noncommercial use only. SA means ShareAlike, so adaptations must use the same or a compatible license. ND means no derivatives, so you cannot share changed versions.

Question 12

Devon copies a block of code from a tutorial into a robot project. The tutorial page says the code is available under the MIT License. What should Devon do to use the code responsibly?

Accepted Answer

Devon should read the MIT License terms and follow them, usually by keeping the copyright notice and license text with the reused code. Devon should also avoid claiming the code as completely original work.

Question 13

Explain the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement using a school coding project as an example.

Accepted Answer

Plagiarism means presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, such as turning in copied code without credit. Copyright infringement means using protected work in a way the law or license does not allow, even if you give credit.

Question 14

A class website needs an image for a homepage. The choices are: an image labeled public domain, an image labeled CC BY, and an image found online with no license listed. Rank these choices from safest to riskiest for reuse and explain your ranking.

Accepted Answer

The safest choice is the public domain image because it can usually be reused freely. The next safest is the CC BY image because it can be reused if proper credit is given. The riskiest is the image with no license listed because permission is unclear.

Question 15

You are making a class video that includes photos, music, and short text quotes. Describe a responsible plan for finding and using materials legally and ethically.

Accepted Answer

A responsible plan is to create original materials when possible, search for public domain or Creative Commons works, check each license, give proper attribution, avoid noncommercial materials in commercial projects, and ask permission when the rules are unclear.

CS: Intellectual Property: Copyright and Creative Commons

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