COPYCENSE

"The notion of collaborating to create open source applications for higher education is rapidly gaining momentum. From course management systems to ERP financial systems, higher education institutions are working together to explore whether they can in fact build a better mousetrap. As Lois Brooks, of Stanford University, recently observed, the open source movement is as much about building communities as it is about developing and sharing applications.

"As higher education creates open source communities for shared resources, it’s important to know what kind of community we are creating and some of the principles underlying that community. Fundamental differences in approaches, philosophies, and incentives for various stakeholders exist. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the legal area of licensing.

"Licensing in the open source world is not about giving up ownership of software or content. In almost all cases, the authors or communities maintain copyright of their work. However, through licensing, open source authors and communities can allow others to use the software or content more freely than would generally be allowed under copyright law. Broadly speaking, there are two approaches for open source licenses: (1) the General Public Licenses (GPLs), known as the ‘copyleft’ approach, and (2) a set of approaches that together are sometimes referred to as ‘open/open.’"

Paul B. Gandel and Brad Wheeler. Of Birkenstocks and Wingtips: Open Source Licenses. Educause Review.  Jan./Feb. 2005.

SNTReport.com™ CoveringEV the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.

"Over the next few months, the Supreme Court and–likely–Congress will resume a debate over rules that could determine whether consumers will continue to enjoy the benefits of many of the gadgets CNET covers.

"The debate is specifically about what kind of legal liability–if any–technology manufacturers, financiers, Internet service providers, journalists and others should have if their actions ‘induce’ another to commit copyright infringement.

"Congressional action this year will largely be shaped by what the Supreme Court does in the pending case involving Grokster, the peer-to-peer software used by millions. While the case may appear to be simply about illegal file trading, its implications are far deeper."

Gigi Sohn. Getting Real About the Grokster Case. News.com. Feb. 8, 2005.

See also:
John Borland. Supreme Court to Hear P2P Case. News.com. Dec. 10, 2005.

John Borland. Judge: File-swapping Tools are Legal. News.com. April 25, 2003.

Mark Cuban. Grokster and America’s Future. News.com. Feb. 2, 2005.

Edward W. Felten. Splitting the Grokster Baby. Freedom to Tinker. Feb. 8, 2005.

SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.

"Ferraris, guns and alcohol are all legal, even though manufacturers know their wares could be used to break the law.

"So should a similar standard apply to Internet users who share – or some would say, ‘steal’ – digital music?

"Legal scholars interested in copyright law discussed that question Saturday at a symposium put on by the Northern Kentucky Law Review."

Reid Forgrave. File-Sharing Networks Examined. Cincinnati.com. Feb. 6, 2005

SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.

As reported Wednesday in SNTReport.com, executive editor K. Matthew Dames gave a lecture to information professionals at the AeA David Packard Conference Center in Washington, DC on licensing digital information. The lecture, entitled "Licensing in the Digital Age," was the second in a series sponsored by the Washington, DC chapter of SLA, among others, that addresses some of the most important legal and policy issues that information professionals face today.

Dames will moderate the lecture for the next presentation in the series, "Digital Rights Management," on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, also at the AeA David Packard Center in Washington, DC. Those interested in attending the March 9 lecture may register online at the AIIM National Capitol Chapter website, or contact organizer Barbie Keiser.

An electronic copy of the lecture notes, as well as additional resources, are posted below.

Lecture Notes
K. Matthew Dames, "Licensing in the Digital Age." (.pdf). Feb. 9, 2005.

Additional Licensing Resources
Yale University Library. Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information; A Resource for Librarians.

Yale University Library. Licensing Terms & Descriptions.

Yale University Library. Definitions of Words and Phrases Commonly Found in Licensing Agreements.

Florida State University. Software Site Licensing.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Licensing Principles.

Ed Foster. Ed Foster’s Gripelog.

Information Access Alliance.

Creative Commons.

"Garret the Ferret is one hip copyright crusader. The cartoon character urges young cybercitizens toward ethical downloading and–in baggy jeans and a gold ‘G’ medallion–reminds them that copying and sharing software is uncool.

"He is also a byproduct of the long-roiling public relations battle between copyright owners, who say they are threatened by digital piracy, and technology advocates opposed to strict controls on digital media copying and on software that make piracy so easy.

"With the Supreme Court scheduled next month to hear a pivotal case pitting copyright holders (represented by MGM Studios) against the makers of file-sharing software (Grokster and StreamCast Networks), participants are putting their message machines into high gear."

Tom Zeller. Messages Grow Manic as Piracy Nears High Court. News.com. Feb. 7, 2005.

See also:
Declan McCullagh. Supreme Court Sets Date for File-Sharing Case. News.com. Jan. 21, 2005.

John Borland. Supreme Court to Hear P2P Case. News.com. Dec. 10, 2004.

SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.