The continuous advancement of technology in our society has given rise to an emerging digital ecosystem, in which new ways of carrying out activities that not long ago seemed unattainable are being developed. This environment has significantly influenced industry and academia, providing digital tools that are essential for optimizing the functions and processes of each sector, such as education.
Education is a fundamental pillar that encourages the development of different societies, and the use of digital tools has allowed access to learning material, as well as the distribution and creation of new materials, presenting new challenges related to Intellectual Property, specifically to the "Copyright" that applies to educational material.
As previously stated, copyright is a set of rights granted to creators and owners of works, allowing them to control the use, distribution, public communication, and reproduction of their works, and even to decide whether or not they are recognized as authors. This protection applies to various educational materials such as academic articles, textbooks, audiovisual works, music, plays, educational platforms, and even online resources.
This technological evolution, through its new tools, facilitates access to innovative information channels and allows for the optimization of learning resources. However, this also raises questions about access to education, since the costs of educational materials, texts, online resources, and other works can be prohibitive for many students and educational institutions, especially in developing countries like Ecuador.
In response to these problems, Creative Commons licenses have been created as solutions. Their objective is to allow authors to share certain works under certain conditions, enabling low-cost or free access to their educational materials. Currently, open science models, open education models, and even open access educational resources have also emerged, all aimed at promoting the creation of educational materials and their free use
Although the use of digital tools has increased in recent years, it should be emphasized that the pandemic accelerated their use in education, making access to massive open online courses (MOOCs) commonplace. In this context, there is a growing trend toward allowing copyright licenses to grant limited and flexible use of resources. This includes permitting modifications to create customized content, authorizing the distribution of material through any digital platform, and allowing the adaptation of multimedia materials, provided that authorship is acknowledged, as well as recognizing their contribution to education.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that the recognition of copyright in educational materials guarantees the recognition of creators, allowing authors, through open licensing models, to freely share their creations, promoting access to education and ensuring that it is equitable for all.
Kelvis Zambrano López and Paola González Acurio
Intellectual Property Specialists
Links of interest on education and open science:
