Year 7 · Summer 2
Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Copyright, Creative Commons and crediting sources
TheoryTopic 19 Digital life, law and ethics
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
You will learn to
- Explain that copyright is automatic: a creator does not need to register it.
- Identify what a Creative Commons licence lets you do with someone's work.
- Write a credit line using TASL: title, author, source and licence.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Success criteria
You have got it when you can say:
- I can find an image that I am allowed to reuse.
- I can write a full TASL credit for each image I use.
- I can say which law fits a simple copying scenario.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Retrieval starter
Questions from before. Write your answers, then show them.
- Last unit
How many times does FOR i ← 2 TO 8 repeat?
A 8B 7C 6
B. 7
- Last unit
Which loop always runs at least once?
A REPEAT … UNTILB FOR i ← 1 TO 0C WHILE … ENDWHILE
A. REPEAT … UNTIL
- Earlier this year
Most of a smartphone's lifetime carbon footprint comes from…
A Charging itB Making itC Recycling it
B. Making it
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Key words (1 of 2)
- Computer Misuse Act
- UK law (1990) that makes hacking and spreading malware crimes.
- Data Protection Act
- UK law (2018), with UK GDPR, controlling how personal data is used.
- Copyright
- Automatic legal protection for original creative work.
- Open source
- Software whose code anyone can see, change and share.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Key words (2 of 2)
- Digital footprint
- The trail of everything you do online.
- Phishing
- Fake messages that trick people into giving details.
- Ethics
- AI that is biased because its training data was. Cameras that keep us safe and also watch us. The digital divide: who is left out when everything moves online. Screen time and sleep. Practise arguing both sides.
The explanation · step 1 of 3
Judging information
- Who made it?
- When?
- Can you find it elsewhere from reliable sources?
- Why was it made: to inform, sell, or make you angry?
- Images and video can be edited or AI-made.
The explanation · step 2 of 3 · part 1 of 3
UK law
Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes hacking a crime:
- Unauthorised access: e.g. using someone's password 'just to look'.
- Unauthorised access to commit another crime: e.g. to steal money.
- Unauthorised acts that damage a computer: e.g. spreading malware, DoS attacks.
Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR control personal data. Organisations must:
The explanation · step 2 of 3 · part 2 of 3
UK law (continued)
- be open about what they collect and why;
- only use it for that purpose;
- collect only what they need;
- keep it accurate;
- not keep it too long;
- keep it secure.
The explanation · step 2 of 3 · part 3 of 3
UK law (continued)
The UK updated these rules with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Royal Assent 19 June 2025). It amends them; the core principles stay.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects creative work automatically. Usually for the creator's lifetime + 70 years.
The explanation · step 3 of 3
Licences
- Proprietary: you buy a licence; you can't see or change the code.
- Open source: code is public; you can use, change and share it.
- Creative Commons: creators let you reuse work with conditions, like 'credit me'.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Try it: Which law?
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Quick quiz · 1 of 3
Logging into a friend's account 'just to look' is…
- A Fine if you don't change anything
- B Against the Computer Misuse Act
B. Against the Computer Misuse Act
Unauthorised access is an offence by itself (section 1).
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Quick quiz · 2 of 3
Copyright in the UK…
- A Is automatic
- B Must be registered
A. Is automatic
Original work is protected as soon as it's made.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Quick quiz · 3 of 3
A shop keeping your data for 20 years 'just in case' breaks…
- A Data protection law
- B The Computer Misuse Act
A. Data protection law
Storage limitation: data must not be kept longer than needed.
Year 7 · Raid: Code for a Cause · Lesson 1 of 5
Exit ticket
Answer on paper before you go. Then check.
Spreading ransomware that locks a company's files is which CMA offence?
A Section 3B Section 1C Section 2
A. Section 3 Section 3: unauthorised acts that impair a computer. Up to 10 years.
Which is the Spanish equivalent of the Data Protection Act 2018?
A Ley de Propiedad IntelectualB Código Penal art. 264C LOPDGDD (Ley Orgánica 3/2018)
C. LOPDGDD (Ley Orgánica 3/2018) With the EU GDPR, the LOPDGDD is Spain's data protection law.