Creation and Use of Intellectual Works in the Academic Environment: Students' Knowledge About Copyright and Copyleft

Copyright legislation directly affects the habitual work of university students, who are both users and creators of copyrighted works. The development of the digital setting has complicated this relationship substantially, as it multiplies the possibilities of creating, modifying and sharing works, while also multiplying the infractions of copyright. Moreover, two opposing phenomena are seen: on the one hand, a staunch reinforcement of copyright legislation, and at the same time a movement toward aperture and flexibility whose best example would be the Creative Commons licenses. In this context, it is crucial for students to have some minimal knowledge that will allow them to adequately deal with problems or questions arising as they use or create intellectual works. This study presents the results of a survey of Spanish university students, with the aim of determining their level of knowledge about copyright and copyleft, particularly applied to academic activities. The results make manifest a level of knowledge far below the one required to make proper use of the copyrighted works of other parties, or to appropriately protect and diffuse one's own intellectual creations deriving from activity as a university student.