Austin, Texas
May 18-20, 1994

The Research Library the Day After Tomorrow

Report From the Ad Hoc Working Group on Copyright Issues

James Neal
Indiana University

MR. BLACK: I would now like to move on to the next item in our business meeting this afternoon, and that is to call on Jim Neal to give a report from the Ad Hoc Working Group Copyright Issues.

MR. NEAL (Indiana University): After an all-day planning session in Washington in September 1993 to develop an ARL plan of action on copyright and intellectual property issues, the ARL Board established the Ad Hoc Working Group on Copyright. The plan that was developed focused on educational, political, and legal strategies for the Association, but the first task was to draft a statement of principles for consideration by the full membership at the spring 1994 meeting. A status report on the working group's activities has been distributed for your review, and the draft statement of principles has been distributed on schedule for your endorsement.

After meeting this week, the working group decided it is important to have a statement on principles that will enable us to move forward productively and with wide impact on a number of critical developments. We also recognize that this may very well be the easy part. The success of the principles will be in the details, in their interpretation, and in their application. This is an explicit statement of what we as ARL hold to be the rights of our readers, affirmed by the law.

At this conference, for example, the working group discussed and considered an annually released and revised statement on document delivery issued by the Association of American Publishers. The first sentence reads, "The copyright law provides the copyright holder with the exclusive right to control the making of copies of a copyrighted work."

This set of principles that we are discussing today will enable us to respond quickly and subjectively to such initiatives. In the working group we considered a range of issues bundled up in copyright, intellectual property, and electronic information. This set of principles will enable us to convene a profession-wide dialogue that can lead to a well-coordinated position in this important area of electronic information. We discussed the need for direction and discussion on such topics as reserves, interlibrary loan, document delivery, and preservation. With these principles we will be equipped to frame a positive and new perspective.

The development of principles owes much to the expertise and energy of our colleague from the University of Wisconsin, Ken Frazier. Its final drafting and presentation to you today is the result of a conscientious and dedicated working group. We have outlined an ambitious plan for the promulgation of these principles across a wide audience. We urge its endorsement. I believe that we distributed this statement in draft several weeks ago to you, and the understanding was that we would bring it forward today to the membership meeting for your endorsement. Are there questions?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Can I move for approval?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Second.

MR. BLACK: We have a motion to approve endorsement of the ARL Statement of Intellectual Property Principles. Any further discussion on the principles? Excellent. All in favor? Opposed? Thank you very much. Thank you Jim, Ken, and the Working Group members for your efforts in this regard. It is an extremely useful document for us all.

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