PETALING JAYA: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has received numerous complaints about copyright violations involving educational materials produced by the ministry, Minister Fadhlina Sidek said today.
She noted that the complaints mainly concern using textbook materials uploaded onto devices such as smart TVs and smartboards, which are then sold at higher prices to schools.
These violations are concerning as they involve misusing the ministry’s intellectual property, which could negatively affect the quality and integrity of the country’s education system, she emphasised.
“When we receive such complaints, our first step should be to ensure that the content is taken down and that intellectual property rights, particularly regarding educational materials, are fully protected.
“We are committed to safeguarding these rights to ensure the legality and authenticity of teaching materials and to prevent any further unauthorised uploads,“ she said after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) and the MOE at MyIPO Tower, PJ Sentral, today.
Also present at the Signing was the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Meanwhile, Armizan explained that the MoU builds on MyIPO’s ongoing programme to raise intellectual property awareness among students, which has been running since 2013.
Under the MoU, a special intellectual property module will be developed and integrated into the existing school curriculum as a cross-curricular element.
“This module will present intellectual property concepts in a way that is easy for students to grasp, laying a solid foundation and developing a generation well-versed in intellectual property protection,” he said.
