If information is a commodity, this also means that the content that people create with that information has value as well. With that in mind, learners and other creators need to:

1. View found information and content as someone's property;

2. Inform others of where information and content came from if using it in a personal creation;

3. Respect the notion of copyright.

2.1. Copyright

Copyright is a government mandated law ensuring that a person's creation is their own property. Copyright law,

"provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs) and other subject-matter known as performer's performances, sound recordings and communication signals" (Canadian Intellectual Property Office, 2019).

Copyright is a broad term covering all works, but also includes patents (new inventions) and trademarks (see terminology section below).

Copyright applies to:

• literary works (e.g. any work consisting of text)

• dramatic works (e.g. film, plays, screenplays, scripts)

• musical works

• artistic works (e.g. paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, digital creations)

• performances (e.g. dramatic, recorded or unrecorded, recital, music, speeches, etc.)

• sound recordings

• Communication signals (e.g. radio waves) (Canadian Intellectual Property Office, 2019)

2.2. Fair Dealing

So, we know that when we find a piece of information (whether that is a blog post, academic article, video, or meme) actually belongs to someone. Does that mean we can't use it?

Absolutely not. Canadian Copyright law, as well as international copyright laws, have allowed for exceptions on using other people's "information". These exceptions are called "Fair Dealing" in Canada, but are also known as "Fair Use."

Canadian Copyright Law says that anyone can "borrow" other people's content for:

• Education, research, private study, parody, or satire

• Criticism or review

As long as when we use someone else's content, we inform (also called giving attribution or citing) other people about:

• the original source

• the author, performer, maker, broadcaster, or creator (Copyright Act, 2019).

However, there are limits.

"In order to ensure your copying is fair, you need to consider several factors such as the amount you are copying, whether you are distributing the copy to others, and whether your copying might have a detrimental effect on potential sales of the original work" (Canadian Association of Research Libraries).

So . . .

Copying an entire book and giving it to people is not fair dealing. Copying a small portion of the book and allowing students to read it for class is..

An entire movie can't be copied and given out to your friends, but a teacher can share portions of the movie online or the whole movie in class.

2.3. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is stealing and passing off another person's ideas or original creations as your own without crediting the original source (Merriam-Webster)

Copyright provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works (including computer programs) and other subject-matter known as performer's performances, sound recordings and communication signals (Canadian Intellectual Property Office, 2019).

Fair dealings (also called Fair Use) are exceptions to the copyright law that allow for people to use other people's works within limits and with proper attribution (Copyright Act, 2019)

Misrepresentation is "any act or omission that is intended to deceive an instructor for academic advantage. Misrepresentation includes lying to an instructor in an attempt to increase your grade, or lying to an instructor when confronted with allegations of academic dishonesty" (SPC Types of Academic Dishonesty).

Academic Integrity means behaving in all academic matters with honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage (UofT Academic Integrity).

Trademarks may be one or a combination of words, sounds or designs used to distinguish the goods or services of one person or organization from those of others (Canadian Intellectual Property Office, 2019)..

The process of research directly impacts acquiring digital literacy skills.

When we start seeing ourselves as a bank of information and intellectual property, we can better apply the principles of information literacy to our own activities online.

6.1. Your Information is big business