The Social Construction of Copyright Ethics and Values

This study is based on analysis of copyright policies and 26 interviews with science and engineering faculty at three research universities on the topic of copyright beliefs, values, and practices, with emphasis on copyright of instructional materials, courseware, tools, and texts. The author found that what institutions had put into place policies and practices that enhanced universities’ intellectual property portfolios, professors offered a more varied pattern, with some fully participating in commercialization of copyright and embracing entrepreneurial values, while others resisted or subverted
commercial activity in favor of traditional science and engineering values.