Assessing copyright awareness and challenges among university students in Bangladesh

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to investigate university student’s knowledge and concerns with copyright, specifically regarding the perspectives and experiences of Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) students about copyright awareness and challenges. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted quantitative survey method for collecting data. A structured questionnaire was created on Google Forms and was shared with students through various social media. Using a survey approach, a total of 300 valid responses were collected from undergraduate and postgraduate students at NSTU. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS 26. Data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, Spearman’s rho correlation and binary logistic regression model. Findings The study found that approximately 68.7% of respondents reported copyright violating practices for personal use. Moreover, impact of copyright violation was identified due to high prices of original products. Spearman’s correlation suggested that academic purpose had a modest relationship with certain patterns of copyright violations and these violation patterns were strongly interrelated. A binary logistic regression model was used to predict likelihood of avoiding plagiarism among participants where the odds of avoiding plagiarism are approximately 4.45 times higher for individuals who seek permission to use copyrighted materials [B = 1.493, Exp(B) = 4.451] compared to those who do not. Practical implications This study provides practical guidance for universities, policymakers and information professionals to strengthen copyright compliance. Institutions should integrate copyright literacy into academic programmes, enhance library-based guidance and improve access to legitimate digital resources. Promoting open educational resources and Creative Commons materials can support ethical information use while maintaining knowledge accessibility. Originality/value This study extends limited empirical research on copyright awareness and infringement behaviour among university students in developing countries, particularly Bangladesh. Previous studies focusing mainly on awareness levels, it examines behavioural patterns and compliance challenges using quantitative analyses. This study provides evidence-based insights for developing effective copyright education and institutional strategies.