Can I Modify Copyrighted Educational Questions Legally?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the legality of modifying and using copyrighted educational questions, particularly in the context of physics and mathematics. Participants explore the implications of copyright on questions from textbooks and the ownership of solutions developed from those questions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about the availability of copyright-free physics and math questions, suggesting searches for public domain materials.
  • There is a suggestion that exercises asking to prove theorems may not be owned by anyone, indicating a belief that such questions could be freely used.
  • Concerns are raised about whether questions from books are actually copyrighted, with some arguing that the uniqueness of questions lies in their specific wording and context.
  • Participants discuss the ownership of solutions, noting that while solutions may belong to the individual, the questions themselves were provided by a company, complicating ownership issues.
  • One participant mentions the possibility of modifying questions by changing quantities, acknowledging the additional work this would entail.
  • There is a reference to the complexities of intellectual property rights, particularly in relation to agreements signed with employers regarding pre-existing and developed knowledge.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether questions from textbooks are copyrighted, with some asserting they are not, while others believe they are. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the legality and implications of modifying such questions.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the potential for confusion regarding intellectual property rights, especially in relation to agreements with employers and the nature of the questions versus the solutions.

Gamma
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Hello,

Where can I get questions (physics/math) which are copy right free.
Thanks,

Gamma.
 
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Are you seeking to publish a book on solutions to exercises?

Nobody owns exercises that that ask to prove a theorem.
 
Gamma said:
Hello,

Where can I get questions (physics/math) which are copy right free.
Thanks,

Gamma.
Do you mean papers that have now become public domain? Are you looking for old books or old information online? If it's online, try doing a search in google or another search engine on either the author or specific problem, or title.
 
Are you seeking to publish a book on solutions to exercises?

To use in my website. I have a collection of questions that I answered when I worked for a tutoring service. (about 200 of them). I worked hard on these questions. However, the questions does not belong to me. Now I am looking for fresh questions to answer.

Do you mean papers that have now become public domain? Are you looking for old books or old information online?

Books that are in public domain are pretty old. Aren't they? I will check that out too.


Gamma.
 
Gamma said:
To use in my website. I have a collection of questions that I answered when I worked for a tutoring service. (about 200 of them). I worked hard on these questions. However, the questions does not belong to me. Now I am looking for fresh questions to answer.



Books that are in public domain are pretty old. Aren't they? I will check that out too.


Gamma.

are questions from a book actually copyrighted? besides, if the solutions are your own, especially if there was no solution in the orginal book, i don't think there would be a problem.
 
Tom1992 said:
are questions from a book actually copyrighted? besides, if the solutions are your own, especially if there was no solution in the orginal book, i don't think there would be a problem.
His answers would have become the intellectual property of the company he worked for.
 
are questions from a book actually copyrighted?

I would like to know the answer to this. I thought they are copyrighted.


His answers would have become the intellectual property of the company he worked for.

Right, the answer is an intellectual property of the company as well as mine. But the question was supplied to me by the company to be answered. That is why the question is not mine. Now, what do I do with only a bunch of solutions? I may be able to change the question, perhaps changing some quantities within the question. That will involve a lot of work in my part.
 
I don't think questions from a book are copyrighted. Many textbooks (from different authors and publishers) share common questions with just different wording, especially the proof questions. As for calculational questions, I guess every question is unique in the numbers and functions being used, but the idea and goals of the questions are also shared among many textbooks.
 
Gamma said:
Right, the answer is an intellectual property of the company as well as mine. But the question was supplied to me by the company to be answered. That is why the question is not mine. Now, what do I do with only a bunch of solutions? I may be able to change the question, perhaps changing some quantities within the question. That will involve a lot of work in my part.
It depends on what kind of agreements you signed with your company. Hopefully you have a copy of your intellectual property and non-compete agreements. Have an attorney look them over.

For example my company cannot claim my pre-existing intellectual property, but then it gets blurred where my pre-existing knowledge works with knowledge developed while at my current company. It can get quite messy.

In college, a professor asked me to sign a waiver to allow him to use some of my work in a textbook he was writing. Although I allowed him the right to print it giving me credit, it still remained mine.
 
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