Web Seminars Contributed by EDUCAUSE and DMCA

Copyright continues to be a core interest of the higher education and academic library communities. This briefing will focus on eight critical legislative and legal arenas where the United States will be working on copyright: orphan works, digital fair use, broadcast flag, Section 1201 anti-circumvention rulemaking, electronic reserves, peer-to-peer file sharing, open access to government-funded research, and the report of the Section 108 Study Group on exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives. The work of the study group will be highlighted, including its primary findings and recommendations. In addition, two important recent studies will be described and their importance for libraries will be cited. The advocacy and educational roles and responsibilities of librarians on copyright also will be outlined.

Illinois State University has embarked on a comparative study of what works and what doesn't regarding peer-to-peer file sharing, media, and copyright on campus. After receiving almost 500 Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaints in the 2004–2005 academic year, the campus decided to explore the P2P issue in-depth and put in place a multifaceted plan to address it, working from the basis that the issues are education, ethics, and legal access rather than technology. The project has been strengthened by direct interaction with associations such as the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America, along with vendors. This seminar will share the project's history, explore its six tenets, and provide some early data results.