Re: Who owns the rights?

[Wayne Miller <wayne.miller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Carol,

A few years ago we had a major discussion in our library/campus about this issue. A series of booklets published, I believe, by ACRL (Assoc. of College and Research Libraries) were used to focus and provide a documented basis for this discussion. My memory is that if the institution specifically contracts for a work to be produced or a job description states that a work will be produced or a supervisor specifically assigns a task of producing a work as a part of an employee's regular duties, then the institution PROBABLY has some intellectual property rights. Since most teachers are contracted to teach, not write syllabi (even though this may be implied), their intellectual products are (again) probably their property. If you think about it, what is the difference between the case your question deals with and a professor who is required to publish to become tenured. Does the institution wish to claim ownership of the copyright for all books and articles published by it's faculty?

 

Wayne Miller

Plattsburgh State University