D.C. area school district claims copyright on student and staff work

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Prince George's County Board of Education in Washington, D.C., is looking to copyright work produced by students and faculty. The Board of Education decided it wanted credit for innovative curriculum and apps created on district-owned iPads, but went even further.

Some question whether the Board of Education should own students' assignments and other work. Prince County Board Chair Verjeana M. Jacobs admits overreach in how the policy is currently written, telling the Post the board "needs to restructure" the language. The policy can still be amended at the next board meeting.

Peter Jaszi, a law professor with the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic at American University, said there would have to be agreements between the students and the board to allow the copyright. A company or organization cannot impose copyright on “someone by saying it is so. That seems to be the fundamental difficulty with this.”