5.0545 Copyright / Unpublishing (1/15)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 19 Dec 1991 17:27:57 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 5, No. 0545. Thursday, 19 Dec 1991.
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 91 10:57:54 EST
From: OKERSON@UMDC
Subject: Unpublishing
The unpublishing maneuver was ingenious but flawed in that copyright transfer
covers the *expression* of an idea, not the idea itself (which continues to
belong to the creator). In the print artifact, changing the font or format
doesn't usually alter the wording or expression of the idea, so our creative
colleague's new version is likely still owned by the publisher, who will
keep an eye on the instituion and like institutions to track on the level of
copyright "infringement."
One of our ARL deans suggested an alternative for faculty in this situation:
put the chapter or article on reserve in the library, and leave the issue of
copying (or not) to the students in the course. Use the services your
library offers, wherever possible, if possible. If they don't seem serviceable
enough, see if policies are changeable or negotiable.
Ann Okerson/Association of Research Libraries