CANADA: Copyright board warns universities

A recent ruling from the Copyright Board of Canada suggests that unless certain universities and colleges that have opted out of the Access Copyright tariff produce information about their use of protected works, they could be subpoenaed to do so, writes Jennifer Brown for Canadian Lawyer Magazine.

Issued on 18 August, the decision is another chapter in the ongoing battle between the non-profit creators' collective Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, and Canadian post-secondary institutions following the proposed Post-Secondary Educational Institution Tariff 2011-2013 issued last year. The universities are upset over what they view as a proposed tenfold increase in fees for the use of published works.

About 34 post-secondary institutions in Canada have indicated that they are opting out of the interim tariff (the existing fee) and 27 of those schools have yet to answer interrogatory requests from Access Copyright regarding how they currently use materials. They have been warned by the copyright board that just because they have opted out of the agreement with Access Copyright, it doesn't mean they won't be liable to pay the newly established tariff down the road when the board makes its ruling, expected sometime in 2013-14.
Full report on the Canadian Lawyer site