COVID-19 Lessons: Copyright the Edu Material

Copyright is a barrier to obtaining instructional material during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched practically every area of our lives. The education system was no exception, as the teachers and staff experienced the most widespread disruption in history, affecting approximately 1.6 billion students in over 190 nations.?

Classes had to be taken remotely on digital platforms, and the processes had to be drastically modified. Furthermore, students' access to libraries and tangible instructional materials was severely limited, and providing such access was problematic due to various circumstances, specifically involving the copyright.

Copyright Protection and Instructional Content

Copyrighted material can be found in textbooks, scholarly publications, online lectures, presentations, library collections, and research databases. Copyright is the set of economic and moral rights that the author can use to enable or prevent their work.

As a result, the author may get compensated for allowing their work to be used. In addition, copyright can operate as a lever impacting knowledge transmission by slowing down the information flow because it gives legal tools a benefit to exclude content.

Copyright is complicated, and the change to online learning has increased the problems that educators are already dealing with due to a lack of physical resources. Educational institutions and libraries must enter into digital license agreements to supply digital copies, unavailable or unreasonably expensive.?

Attempts to make scanned, photographed, or video recordings of copyrighted material, on the other hand, maybe in violation of the copyright law if a significant portion of the work is duplicated.

In the last few years, around five key patterns emerged with the introduction to e-learning during the covid times:

1. Since students lost access to classroom materials, photocopying has skyrocketed.
2. EdTech tools have grown in popularity.
3. Some publishers have allowed no-cost or free licenses for limited periods.
4. More assessments have moved online.
5. Teachers have taught using materials protected by copyright, sometimes underpaid or gratis licenses, sometimes under fair use protection, or by infringements that the right holder has ignored.

As a goodwill gesture, publishers took various steps to make the content freely available online for a limited period. In addition, some copyright collectives allowed a temporary rise in the percentage amount of permissible copying.

Initially, publishers took various steps to make the content freely available online for a limited period as a goodwill gesture. In addition, some copyright collectives allowed a temporary rise in the percentage amount of permissible copying. COVID-19 pieces were also made freely available by several subscription-based media organizations.?

However, the majority of the actions implemented were insufficient, short-lived, and, in some cases, completely unnecessary. Since goodwill gestures are no longer in play, educational institutions, libraries, and, on occasion, individuals must carry the financial burden of purchasing tools and online licensing.

The System Problems with the Copyright System

COVID-19 has proven how copyright acts as a barrier to accessing educational information and the copyright system's vulnerabilities in dealing with unusual scenarios such as the lengthy shutdown of educational institutions and libraries.?

These issues, however, are a mirror of more significant, pre-existing access hurdles. COVID-19 has amplified the effects of long-standing conflicts and problems rather than causing copyright issues.?

Because of the high cost of digital content and newly relevant software tools, many schools continue to use remote learning. This creates a conflict between accessibility and copyright.

While no one knows when COVID-19 will cease and school systems will be able to return to pre-pandemic modes, it is critical to find ways to eliminate copyright-related barriers to instructional materials.?

Policymakers must reconsider the role of copyright, particularly in education, and offer better alternatives to improve accessibility. The copyright system needs to be re-calibrated so that public interest is not harmed and can keep up with rapid social and technological changes.

Promoting "open access" or "open educational resources" for educational materials could be an alternative. Such methods do not jeopardize copyright; instead, they make the present copyright system more accessible.?

A publication is deemed open access if there are no technological, legal, or financial barriers to accessing it, i.e., a person requesting access to it is not prohibited for any technical, legal, or economic reason. "Open Educational Resources" are either in the public domain or licensed under open licenses that make them freely available.

A publication is deemed open access if there are no technological, legal, or financial barriers to accessing it, i.e., a person requesting access to it is not prohibited for any technical, legal, or economic reason.

It's worth noting that the report "Review of India's Intellectual Property Rights Regime," which was submitted to the Rajya Sabha, took into account copyright and educational resources. To develop a fair literary culture across the country, the report suggests essential modifications to the Copyright Act of 1957.?

According to the report, section 51 (1) of the Copyright Act should be changed to allow government educational institutions to have reprographic works and store them in libraries for enhanced accessibility. The report also emphasizes the relevance of the National Library Mission and suggests that community libraries be established around the country.

According to the assessment, existing libraries should also be modernized to give access to works by international authors. At the same time, the report emphasizes the importance of protecting writers' rights, as these rights inspire them to invest in and develop high-quality books and works.?

As a result, author rights must be balanced against the public interest in increased accessibility. While COVID-19 has revealed the severe institutional issues copyright has caused regarding accessing educational materials, there is no easy cure.

There have been various proposals to change the copyright law to lessen protection and promote access, less protection may lead to an issue of literary work underproduction.?

As a result, determining the proper balance becomes a difficult task. Open access and open educational resources may bring some relief, but they do not fully solve inaccessibility. More significant policy measures regarding copyright and open access are urgently needed to address the difficulties of accessing educational materials.