ABSTRACT
Larger percentage of undergraduates and some
lecturers pay less attention to copyright law or intellectual property,
plagiarism, fair use, paraphrasing and how to deal with them especially as it
related to internet publications and materials. The research therefore aims at
appraising copyright law awareness among students and lecturers on the internet
publication among Kwara State University, Malete with the sole objective to
know if Internet publications / materials enjoy copyright law or not and to
what extent because plagiarism is a criminal offence in an academic sphere
which is not taken for granted. However, referencing internet publications and
materials with appropriate citations is one of the gimmicks used to attribute
the originators of idea used in the course of writing and presentations. Survey
research method was adopted coupled with 200 copies of questionnaires that were
administered to students and lecturers of which 193 copies were retrieved.
Internet publishing is no more a hidden phenomenon but a concept that has taken
a root in this global world of ours. Although Internet users do download copy,
convert, edit some Internet materials or copies such as; pictures, graphics,
typography sounds, music, movies, ringing tones, Webpages, documentaries
games, articles, and lots more does not make internet publishing a free source
of information without any gatekeeper, therefore, copyright law subsist on
internet materials usually original. It is essential to sensitize the internet
users on what can be copyrighted and what capable of putting them into trouble
by organizing online seminars, conferences or normal conferences e.t.c
