Reviews developments in the Texaco v. American Geophysical Union copyright case that involves photocopying scientific journal articles for researchers. Highlights include the Copyright Clearance Center role; fair use; purpose of the use, i.e., commercial or nonprofit; the nature of the copyrighted work; amount copied; and effect on the potential…

Reviews court cases regarding copyright ownership of student-produced videos. Makes recommendations concerning a contract between school and student acknowledging the student's copyright but granting the school a nonexclusive license to air the program. Presents a prototype of such a contract. (SR)

Reports on three workshops offering copyright education for library and computer services staff and administrators. Topics covered included: copyright (e.g., the Copyright Act of 1976 and classroom teaching); digital distance education issues (application of fair use to on-line teaching); and compliance (under the Digital Millennium Copyright…

Discusses objections in the library community to the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA), a legal framework being considered by state governments regarding computer information, transactions, and software. Topics include copyright issues; user needs for access to information; license agreements; and costs that may prevent…

This paper explores the rights of authors before publication of their works, if those works are to be published at all, and how these rights might yield to fair use of the works by other authors. Firstly, the paper examines the interests at stake of the three main groups involved: authors, the public, and people who wish to quote or closely…

Because of data ownership questions raised by the interchange and sharing of machine readable bibliographic data, this paper was prepared for the Bibliographic and Communications Network Committee of the National Library Advisory Board. Background information and definitions are followed by a review of the legal aspects relating to property and…

The legal action brought by author J. D. Salinger against Random House Publishers to prevent certain letters--now the property of various university libraries--from being published in a biography illustrates how the long-standing accommodation between the Copyright Act and the First Amendment can occasionally break down. Although the biographer…

This discussion of the impact of copyright laws and regulations on universal availability of publications examines the historical and conceptual foundations of copyright as it has developed in Europe, with special emphasis on the current copyright laws of the Nordic countries. A detailed analysis of the provisions of these laws is used to…

The types of work that may qualify for copyright protection are considered generally, and then focus is on certain types of works whose copyrightability may be the subject of litigation in the future. Among those discussed are architectural designs, typeface designs, discoveries, pantomimes and choreographies. (LBH)

The statutory scheme of the Copyright Act of 1976 Section 106 is reviewed, followed by an analysis of the impact of the new provisions on such library activities as lending, photocopying, offering secondary services, and operating library networks and consortia. (LBH)

Addresses several differences between computer software and books that affect copyright-related issues. Discussion covers durability of the physical medium, dilemma of backup copies, software licensing agreements, integrity of honest customers, and policy suggestions for libraries that have or are considering microcomputer labs and are concerned…

Discusses copyright problems that arose when Texas A&M University Library installed microcomputers dedicated to computer-assisted instruction and research-related use. Highlights include microcomputer software questions, protection under copyright law, fair use, computers and copyrights, contracts and agreements, archival copies, vendor…

The limited extent to which the new copyright act altered performers' rights is examined with emphasis on the broadened provisions that preempt the state law remedies available to performers. The arguments concerning revision of the present law to expand performers' rights are considered and it is argued that the case for greater protection is a…

Legal questions involving conveyance of university-developed technology to the marketplace are becoming an increasing problem. This article discusses issues of intellectual property, including: university policies of ownership; faculty copyrights; university partnerships with the federal government; hidden costs of aggressive protection; and…

Reviews copyright issues that were addressed at the InCITE 1995 workshop, including copyright law, fair use guidelines, multimedia issues, copyright policy statements by national professional organizations, legal activities related to the Internet, and multimedia guidelines. (LRW)