Digital Diploma Mills, Part II: The Coming Battle over Online Instruction

This essay focuses on the possible loss or diminution of faculty intellectual property rights in the face of universities signing contracts with private firms to distribute professors' courses through distance learning. Several examples of university contracts and practices that pose serious challenges to faculty intellectual property ownership are discussed. Until recently, universities did not usually challenge faculty ownership of the copyright to their courses since there was little money to be made from the courses, beyond funds generated from teaching students at given universities. However, with the selling of distance learning courses to large audiences, several universities have shown considerable interest in the ownership of courses. An upcoming intellectual property rights battle between faculty and universities over the quickly expanding online instruction is predicted.