In class we had a discussion on the topic of copyright policies. In the discussion we covered different aspects of the copyright concept. The following is a brief summary of the discussion that the class had.
    In order to follow along with the topic, one must first understand the terms that are involved. First of all, the word "copyright" refers to the right that an author has to control his/her own work. Anything that is pubished after the year 1989 is covered under the copyright law, even if it is not stated. The term "copyright infringement" is an act of violation of another's work for your own personal benefit. An example of this would be downloading a picture off of the Internet and taking credit for the work.
    A popuar question that is often asked when discussing copyright policies is "how does one know what he/she can use?" The answer to this question is found under the Fair Use Policy. This policy states that anyone can use information, they just have to be sure to quote the information and provide a reference along with it. Along with this policy come rules and guidelines, which can be found on the "Copyright in an Electronic Environment" handout. There are also rules to citing electronic resources, which can be found on the "Citing Electronic Resources in APA and MLA Style" handout.