Western and U of T Sign Agreement with Access Copyright

(Originally posted February 9th, 2012)

On January 30 2012, UWO and U of T announced they had signed copyright agreements with Access Copyright, the collective responsible for reproductive rights in Canada. The move to sign this agreement is cause for concern and will have potentially serious repercussions for the post-secondary community in Canada.

Western, UofT sign agreement with Access Copyright

Below, I have summarized the notable responses, blogs, and objections that have arisen in reaction.

While several post-secondary institutions declared they would not sign the licence and would end their relationship with Access Copyright, UWO and U of T announced two weeks ago that they had signed agreements. Howard Knopff, Sam Trosow, and the Canadian Association of University Teachers explore the recent decision here:

U. of T. and Western Capitulate to Access Copyright – Howard Knopf
Toronto and Western sign licensing agreement with Access Copyright – Sam Trosow
BACKGROUNDER: UWO and U of T Agreements with Access Copyright

The text of the agreement signed by U of T can be found here.

The decision to sign the agreement was carried out without consultation of the Western student body and provoked rebuke from the Western USC here and from the Canadian Federation of Students here.

When the tariff was initially submitted to the Copyright Board of Canada in March 2010, it provoked immediate concern. It features large royalty increases, attempts to rollback user rights, and claims compensation for uses not covered by the Copyright Act. Over 100 objections were filed with the Copyright Board in August 2010 from groups including the CLA, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. Some of these objections can be found here:

CAUT-CFS Objection to Access Copyright Tariff
CLA Objection to the Tariff

Notable bloggers including Michael Geist and Howard Knopf summarize and break down the objections to the Access Copyright tariff here:

Access Copyright’s excessive $45 per university student proposed tariff – Howard Knopf
Should Canadian Universities Walk Away From Access Copyright? – Michael Geist
Students and Teachers File Joint Objection to Proposed Access Copyright Tariff – Sam Trosow

Additionally, Professor Sam Trosow provides background and explores the problems associated with the tariff in two detailed video presentations below:

Bill C‐32 and the Access Copyright Tariff: Double Trouble for Educators and Students
Bill C-32 and the Access Copyright Tariff: Still Double Trouble for Higher Education

Alan Kilpatrick