Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hawkeye2]

Hi All,

I've noticed that a lot of my students go down to the copy shop and get their entire (U.S) (soft cover) textbook copied. Looks almost like the real thing, except the print quality is not as good and the pages are a little thinner. This is obviously a violation of copyright laws and intellectual property theft. Do you think this is a serious issue? Do you have any insights or opinions that could help me formulate a policy for my class and the school? Thanks for your input.

[Ya-ta Boy]

It's done everyday, all over the country. I'm not sure it would benefit you to make an issue of it all by yourself.

A couple of years ago I made a joke about copying some software with a friend of mine who works in a computer company in Seoul. He said it was his company's policy to copy all foreign software, but buy Korean software. If that attitude is widespread, and I think it is, there isn't much one teacher, foreign, can do about it.

My advice: shrug your shoulders and choose a battle where you might win.

[antoniothegreat]

that is Korean logic, if there is something tossed in the garbage that you would like, maybe like a chair, couch, or table, and you take it, you are stealing. but any form of softwear, multimedia, anything on a computer, can be downloaded off the internet or copied and that is entrirely ok. how this makes sense i dont know. but changing it would be like trying to tell americans it is illegal to go 5 mph over the speed limit and they need to slow down...

[hack]

I don't allow students to copy textbooks. I tell them 1st day of class that copies are not allowed and that if I see a student with a copy book I take it from him/her and tell them they can't come to class until they have an original. In 3 years I have only been challenged twice by students who complained to the department chair and in both cases he backed me on it. 1 of these students actually dropped my class over it and went to another instructor's class who didn't have a no copy rule. But because of tight schedules, most can't do that.
Now, I have to get back to my downloaded copy of Madonna's new album.
Do what I say, not what I do

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I've made 200 copies of a chapter to use with my students. What else am I supposed to do when teaching high school? The alternative would mean not using and therefore not buying the book at all. Would the American/British author prefer to sell one copy in Korea to me or none?

[Mr. Pink]

I have no problem with copying books. If one of my students loses a book I tell them to either buy a new one or copy their friends. A few have copied books.

Copies books are better if it is their friends, as the notes and stuff get copied too and that helps the student out.

[deessell]

Welcome to Asia.

[Hawkeye2]

Thanks for the hits. I order the book at the bookstore so I imagine the manager/owner would not be happy with the copying. Wouldn't you guys see this as an opportunity to at least create some awareness among students here of intellectual property rights? What is the rationale for such laws? For instance, is it in a country's interest to abide by them in trading with other countries long term?

[Ya-ta Boy]

Wholesale copying won't go out of style here until some Korean writes a book or makes and invention that gets ripped off. Once there is a public outcry about a Korean getting cheated, then the public attitude will change.

[bourquetheman]

Gee at the university I taught at there was a copying room just down from my office. Students (including me) would go down and have whole books copied, that was simply the norm. It was darn cheap too.

[plattwaz]

HA - my friend's haggie took a quite well-known and well-used book, published by Oxford, photocopied it, deleted the book name from the botton corner of each page, replaced it with the name of their own hagwon, put a different cover on it, and SOLD it to the students. And not 5 or 6 copies -- we're talking about 400-500 copies.

I've told him to take a copy of the book, and when he finishes his contract, forward a copy of it with the name and address of the academy to Oxford....

[Ya-ta Boy]

[mindmetoo]

I copy a lot of music, tv shows, PORN, and some movies. I've used software I haven't bought. Meh. Who am I to poo poo Koreans.

[JeJuJitsu]

[Col.Brandon]