For Immediate Release

September 19, 2006

Contact: Allan Adler
Ph: (202) 220-4544

Cornell university and publishers announce new copyright guidelines governing use of digital course materials

Jointly Written Guidelines Affirm That Copyright Law Applies to Electronic Course Content

New York, NY, September 19, 2006:   As part of ongoing discussions over the manner in which Cornell University provides copyrighted course content to students in digital formats, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Cornell recently announced a new set of copyright guidelines to govern the use of electronic course materials on the library’s electronic course reserves system, on faculty and departmental web pages, and through the various “course management” websites used at Cornell. The guidelines affirm that the use of such content is governed by the same legal principles that apply to printed materials.

The guidelines, which were jointly drafted by Cornell and AAP, make it clear that faculty must obtain permission to distribute such works to the same extent as permission is required with respect to reproductions and distributions of publishers’ copyrighted works in hard-copy formats.

"Cornell and AAP concur that instructional use of content requiring the copyright owner's permission when used in a printed coursepack likewise requires permission when used in an electronic format," said John Siliciano, Vice Provost of Cornell.

“The Publishers and the authors they represent are gratified that Cornell has responded positively to their concerns and has taken a leadership role on this issue in the academic community,” said Pat Schroeder, former Congresswoman and head of the AAP. “With more and more content now available in digital form, it is important to clarify the copyright responsibilities that accompany use of that content – and to be sure that colleges and universities are enforcing the rules they adopt.”

Mrs. Schroeder continued, “AAP hopes that Cornell’s actions will set an example for other colleges and universities and provide them an opportunity to review their own practices and institute similar guidelines.”

Discussions are ongoing between AAP and Cornell concerning additional approaches that may be appropriate to encourage compliance with copyright law so that instructors' postings of electronic course content conform with legal requirements.

Click here to view Cornell's Copyright Guidelines

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