Distance Learning & Copyright--September 25, 2003--Detroit, Michigan

["Steven Armatas" <SArmatas@xxxxxxxxxx>]

For those of you involved with intellectual property and distance
learning, Sterling Education Services is sponsoring a full-day seminar
on the topic of Distance Learning and Copyright:Legal Issues in Detroit
on September 25, 2003. A substantial part of the program is devoted to
the recently enacted TEACH Act which updates the distance education
provisions of the Copyright Act and significantly impacts all colleges,
universities and K-12 schools that utilize distance learning
technologies. A copy of the program's agenda is included below.
Additional information and registration procedures can be found at
http://www.sterlingeducation.com/DLUDetroit.html.

I. Copyright Basics (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)
Since a general understanding of copyright law is necessary for every
instructor incorporating another's works into his or her course, this
section addresses such questions as: What is copyright? How long does
copyright protection last? What works are eligible for protection? What
constitutes "fair use" of a copyrighted work? What are the penalties for
infringing use? This portion also covers the assignment and licensing of
copyrights and recent legal cases involving use of the sovereign
immunity defense by state universities against intellectual property
infringement claims.

Lunch: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (on your own)

II. Distance Learning Guidelines (1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
Often what is permissible practice in face to face teaching situations
constitutes copyright infringement when used in distance learning. This
section addresses the different laws applicable to each setting with
emphasis on the evolving distance learning rules. Topics include the
exemptions for face-to-face teaching and distance learning contained in
the he Copyright Act, the "safe harbor" provisions of the CONFU
guidelines, and the recently enacted TEACH Act.

Break: 2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

III. Distance Learning and the WWW (2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.)
As more and more schools offer courses over the Internet, a growing
interrelationship between the World Wide Web and educational distance
learning has developed. This section addresses questions distance
learning instructors now face such as: What Should I Include on My
Distance Learning Course Home Page? May I Copy Items from Other Internet
Sites? May I Freely Link to the Web Sites of Others? How Do I Protect
the Material on My Site? Who Owns the Electronic Course?

This section also covers how to locate copyright owners and the
potential liability of colleges and universities as Internet service
providers under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

IV. Educational Multimedia Guidelines (3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.) As
educators use advancing communications technology to convey information
to students, many instructors opt to develop multimedia presentations
mixing text, sound, motion pictures, and graphics to use in their
distance learning courses, or even to market commercially. This section
first explores the myriad of copyright issues involved in assembling a
commercial multimedia product, and then discusses how to combine the
works of others for educational purposes without triggering copyright
infringement liability.

Steven A. Armatas, Esq.
Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs, LLP
4518 Fulton Drive N.W.
Canton, Ohio 44735-5548
OFC:330-491-5216
FAX:330-252-5446
EML:sarmatas@xxxxxxxxxx