DGB 2: Intellectual Property and Copyright

← Digital Literacy – Year 2

Programs and digital projects often consist of many parts: original code, reused components, images, sprites, sounds or templates. A remix changes or combines existing material. In doing so, the origin, licence and one's own changes should remain traceable.

Curriculum reference

Area	Classification
Competence area	Production
Perspectives	Societal and interaction perspectives (G, I)
Focus	Intellectual property and copyright when creating or remixing programs
Competence	Distinguish original and third-party components in digital projects, check usage rights and transparently document reused or modified components.

Learning objectives

Students can:

explain intellectual property in relation to code and digital media;
distinguish original and third-party components of a project;
recognise that source code, graphics, sounds and other concrete works may be protected;
describe a remix as adapting or combining existing material;
distinguish clearly permitted, restricted and unclear uses;
compare open and closed licences in programming projects;
create source, creator and licence information for reused components;
document their own changes to an existing project;
keep contributions and origins transparent in group projects;
explain why attribution and licence information support fairness and traceability;
use original or clearly licensed material if permission is missing or unclear.

Learning content

Programs are composite works

A game can contain program code, characters, background images, music and text. These components can have different creators and licences. It is therefore not enough to say ‘the project is mine’ if important parts were reused.

Idea and concrete expression

A general idea such as ‘a quiz about planets’ is different from a specific piece of source code, a drawn sprite or a composed audio track. In school projects, concrete third-party works should not be presented as one's own.

What does remix mean?

A remix changes, extends or combines an existing project with other elements. Some programming learning platforms actively support remixing. Whether and under which conditions this is permitted depends on the licence or permission attached to the original material.

Open and closed licences

Open-source and Creative Commons licences can permit particular kinds of use and adaptation. Their conditions must be read and followed. Proprietary or unlabelled material may be more restricted or unclear. ‘Found on the internet’ is not a licence.

Documenting sources

For reused components, record at least title or description, creator/project, source and licence. If you modify something, note what changed. This information may be included in a project description, code comment, source list or credits.

Original and third-party contributions in teams

Group projects are more transparent when the team records who created or added each part. Version histories and project logs can support both copyright documentation and fair assessment of collaboration.

A fair remix culture

Remixing is an important part of digital creativity. It becomes fair when existing work is respected, permitted material is chosen, creators are credited and changes are made visible. Creative development and the rights of others can therefore be combined.

Classroom activities

Distinguish original and third-party components

Break down a fictional game into code, images, sounds, text and templates and label each as original, reused or unclear.

Expected outcome: A transparent component list.

Check remix sources and rights

Find the source project, licence and stated changes in a sample remix.

Expected outcome: A short rights-and-source check.

Classify usage situations

Sort simplified cases into clearly permitted, permitted under conditions or unclear—check first.

Expected outcome: Cautious licence-based reasoning.

Give sources and licences correctly

Create a complete source list with title, creator, source, licence and change note where required.

Expected outcome: Traceable documentation.

Compare open and closed materials

Choose suitable images, sounds or code components for the same project based on rights and purpose.

Expected outcome: A justified material choice.

Remix a project with clean documentation

Adapt an approved learning project, change at least two aspects and document source, licence and changes.

Expected outcome: A fairly documented remix.

Correct problematic examples

Add missing creator/source/licence information or replace material whose use cannot be clarified.

Expected outcome: A corrected project description.

Recognise your own role as creator

Decide how others may use one of your own small works and explain your choice.

Expected outcome: Awareness of creator rights and licensing.

Document a team project

Create a shared record of original contributions, reused components, sources, licences and changes.

Expected outcome: A transparent project log.

Create a pre-remix checklist

Write at least six checks to complete before remixing someone else's material.

Expected outcome: A practical checklist.

Self-check

I distinguish original and third-party components.
I check the licence before remixing.
I can document sources and licence information.
I mark my own changes.
I know that finding something online is not the same as having permission to reuse it.
I can choose fairer material alternatives for a project.