University of Alberta - Access Copyright FAQ

[Last updated: 28Sep2015]

1. What is Access Copyright?

Access Copyright is a non-profit, national organization that represents Canadian creators and publishers of copyright material and grants licences for the reproduction of copyright-protected published works.

2. What is the University of Alberta’s relationship with Access Copyright?

The U of A has had a long and valued working relationship with Access Copyright. Most recently, the university entered into a five-year Agreement with Access Copyright that became effective on January 1, 2011 and will end on December 31, 2015.

3. What does the University of Alberta’s agreement with Access Copyright cover?

The substance of this Agreement is that, in exchange for a royalty, Access Copyright grants the university a license to permit the copying of a specified range of certain copyright-protected works by U of A students, faculty and staff. The annual license fee is based on the number of FTE students at the U of A. The agreement also includes significant reporting requirements.

4. When does the agreement expire?

The agreement will expire on December 31, 2015, and the U of A has communicated to Access Copyright that it does not wish to review or extend the agreement. To read a copy of that communication, click here.

5. What bearing does the university’s decision regarding Access Copyright have on the work being undertaken by the Copyright Review Committee?

None.

6. What was the rationale for not extending the agreement with Access Copyright?

There have been a number of changes relating to the use of copyrighted materials at the university over the last five years that have made the terms of the agreement no longer favourable to the University. In 2012, there were amendments to Canada’s Copyright Act, as well as new decisions from the Supreme Court of Canada, which have combined to clarify and strengthen the principles of fair dealing. This included adding a new “education” category to the list of purposes for which fair dealing may be claimed. Additionally, the University of Alberta Library has increased its licensing of electronic resources that can be used, under the terms of those licenses, by students, faculty and staff. Finally, more and more material is available from Open Source venues or is publicly available on the web. As a result, a significant percentage of the reproduction of copyright material that was covered by the Access Copyright license can now be reproduced by members of the University community for comparable purposes without the need for such a license.

7. What are other universities doing regarding Access Copyright?

Different universities are taking different approaches to dealing with copyright, but a significant number of U15 schools in Canada have opted not to extend their agreements with Access Copyright.

8. What about the new options offered by Access Copyright?

While there are new options available from Access Copyright that have a significantly lower fee per FTE student than the current agreement, at present the U of A does not consider these options to be the most cost effective approach for the university to take to remain compliant with copyright laws.

9. What will it mean for the U of A to operate without an agreement with Access Copyright?

The current Access Copyright license covers a range of copying of copyright materials at the university by faculty, staff and students. A significant amount of campus copying should fall under the University of Alberta Fair Dealing Guidelines, but if any proposed copying goes beyond those guidelines, the Copyright Office can assist in determining whether a separate license needs to be sought and how to go about seeking such a license.

10. Where can I find the University of Alberta Fair Dealing Guidelines?

These should be posted next to all photocopiers and scanners on campus, but they can also be found on the Copyright Office website at copyright.ualberta.ca.

11. How will the end of the U of A’s agreement with Access Copyright impact course instructors, researchers, staff and students at the University?

It is expected that this change will not have a significant impact on the campus community as a whole. The Copyright Office will continue its efforts to raise awareness of copyright issues and best practices to keep campus copying of copyright material within lawful limits. The U of A’s procedures around instructional materials will remain unchanged for Winter 2016. For ongoing copying that has been covered by the Access Copyright license and that is not covered by fair dealing or another University license, the Copyright Office will assist in seeking specific licenses as necessary.

12. How will the end of the U of A’s agreement with Access Copyright impact content creators who have been receiving payments from Access Copyright?

Content creators who had been receiving compensation directly from Access Copyright for the use of their works will not be impacted by this change. Authors are compensated by Access Copyright through its separate agreements with publishers or affiliates.

13. What are the current U of A policies and procedures regarding copyright?

The Use of Copyright Materials Policy was approved in 2010 and can be found on UAPPOL. Three new procedures, covering teaching, research, and administration respectively, will formalize current best practices in those areas. These procedures should be taken through the internal vetting and approval processes no later than the Spring of 2016.

14. Who can I contact for additional information about copyright matters at the U of A?

The Copyright Office help desk can be reached via email at copyright@ualberta.ca.