York will not enter into Access Copyright licence

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Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan, acting president of York University, issued this announcement to the community:

After careful review, a decision has been made that York University will not be entering into the Access Copyright licence agreement that was negotiated by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

Along with several other Canadian universities, York has been operating outside of the Access Copyright tariff since Sept. 1, 2011. This decision supports York’s continuing commitment to ensuring access to copyrighted materials for study and research with appropriate payment to authors and publishers.

Copyright law and technologies for content sharing continue to evolve quickly. The York University Libraries has made it a priority to expand its digital collection so as to provide legal access to e-journals and e-books from thousands of publishers. This decision will permit us to continue to invest in the digital resources needed to expand electronic content available to students and to promote e-learning initiatives.

Copies will continue to be made under licences obtained directly from publishers, third-party vendors, content from our library subscriptions, open-access content, fair dealing or educational exceptions in the Copyright Act. Plans are being put in place to provide additional assistance with questions about copying for the 2012-2013 academic year. Further details will be provided to the community in the coming weeks.

For assistance in obtaining the permission required for copying or posting, contact York University’s Copyright Office at 416-736-2100 ext. 40706.

York’s Copyright Clearance Centre provides a convenient service for assembling course packs and selling them in the York University Bookstore. For more information on the production of course packs, including submission dates, contact the Copyright Clearance Centre at 416-736-2100 ext. 40049 or ckits@yorku.ca.

For more information, visit York University’s Copyright Office website.