Universities face copyright action

All eight of New Zealand's universities are being taken to the New Zealand Copyright Tribunal for refusing to agree to an increased annual licence fee that allows lecturers to copy authors' work for students, writes John Lewis for The New Zealand Herald.

After a year of negotiations, Universities New Zealand refused to budge on the current $20 fee per student, which was agreed in 2007, resulting in Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) filing a case with the tribunal.

CLNZ Chief Executive Paula Browning said it would be the first time the Copyright Tribunal had investigated what universities were paying for licence fees. The licensing scheme, operated by CLNZ, ensures authors and publishers are being fairly paid for the use of their work.
Full report on The New Zealand Herald site