Is sharing speaker's slides from conference presentations on social media a breach of intellectual property or a delegate's right? Depends who you ask.

BACKGROUND: The contemporary practice of the sharing of speaker's slides from medical conference presentations is common but raises a number of complex ethical and legal questions. We investigated the views of a large group of international hernia surgeons to evaluate the comtemporary view on this topic. METHODS: A questionnaire was widely promoted on Twitter and distributed by email to target the membership of the British and European Hernia Societies. Demographics and responses were recorded. RESULTS: There were 185 respondents; 68 BHS email (37%), 76  EHS email (41%) and 41 respondents via Twitter (22%). 49 (34%) society members used social media for professional communication. 23 (56%) of Twitter respondents had posted speakers slides versus 5 (12%) from society members email respondents. A majority of respondents held the view that either the specific congress (37%) or individual speakers (24%) should set the rules on the distribution of speakers slides explicitly. 10 (24%) of Twitter respondents felt that sharing content violated intellectual property compared to 88 (61%) of email respondents. CONCLUSION: Contemporary opinion regarding this subject differs depending on the modality of questionnaire and population interrogated. Respondents who use social media in their professional practice are more comfortable with the practice of sharing speaker's slides. Whilst, the sharing of speaker's slides is legal in Europe, but it may be good practice to seek consent and acknowledge the author in any communication.