Target Audience: All librarians who deal with copyright issues
Learning Outcomes:
1) Participants will be able to explain their obligations and opportunities for using copyrighted materials.
2) Participants will be able to identify high-priority copyright issues at the federal and state levels that impact law librarians.
Law librarians are often the go-to professionals for copyright issues and questions. Whether we are evaluating the copyright issues of documents we need to use, seeking permissions, determining fair use, applying the Section 108 copyright exemption for libraries, or just answering everybody’s question of “Can I copy/scan/email/post/route this?”, copyright impacts our professional lives on a day-to-day basis. The digital revolution has complicated copyright by allowing forms of copying and distribution that were unheard of in the analog era. Keeping up with this ever-changing world is a particular challenge.
In a unique format, the Copyright Committee is presenting a series of short presentations on three hot topics in the copyright world. The first will focus on locating owners of copyrighted materials. A law librarian and practicing attorney will provide tips and suggestions for locating elusive owners of copyrighted “orphan” works. The second presentation will look at copyright coverage of state and local government documents. While virtually all federal documents are in the public domain under 17 USC Section 105, this federal law does not apply to the states, leaving states with various approaches. Speakers will highlight the skills for determining if a particular state document may be covered by a copyright. The final presentation will look at the most recent developments in copyright legislation and litigation, including the ongoing Google Books and Georgia State University lawsuits, recent suits claiming copyright protection for court briefs and “prior art” in patent claims, and the latest in the copyright piracy (SOPA) debate in Congress.