Re: AAP and the CCC

On Tue, 23 Feb 1999, Leah Gadzikowski <lrgadz01[_at_]gwise.louisville.edu> wrote:
>
> I received this message in e-mail this morning. Have any of you heard
> of this or had experience with this?
>
> Leah
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> Hi Friends -- Just wanted to ask you if you know about threatening
> letters that are being mailed to organizations on the letterhead of the
> Copyright Clearance Center?
>
> I visited a hospital in Illinois yesterday. They showed me
> correspondence between the hospital and the Copyright Clearance Center.
> The initial "invitation" to have a copying site license for this
> medium-sized hospital was sent to their Risk Manager. The hospital
> initially refused the offer, saying they didn't need this type of
> license. They then received a letter from the CCC suggesting they were
> in danger of being sued by publishers if they did not purchase a copying
> site license. It was determined through a week-long copying survey done
> at the hospital that they needed to pay $18,000 to cover their copyright
> fees for one year. This agreement has nothing to do with the hospital
> library. It is supposed to cover copying of articles handed out in
> staff meetings, etc. I can't imagine a hospital this size (around 400
> beds) would really owe this much money if they counted articles they
> copied, and paid fees based on the actual count. Evidently the hospital
> was intimidated enough by the threat to sign this license and fork over
> the money. Another interesting thing -- next year the hospitals' fees
> are supposed to drop (why?) -- but the fees still will be over $15,000.
>
> I have heard also that people actually from AAP are coming into
> university libraries and talking with low-level staff doing interlibrary
> loans. The staff are being asked to point out copyright violations
> to these unannounced "site visitors". Sharon Hogan, the University
> Librarian here at UIC assures me that ARL is trying to do something
> about this. It appears that the real impetus behind these tactics
> (under the guise of the CCC) is the AAP, and that they have been
> picking up steam because of the Texaco case.
>
> I am wondering if you have heard of other hospitals that are being
> targeted? Has your library been a target? What do you think we as
> a group of medical libraries and librarians should do about this?
>
> I would be happy to summarize for the group, if there is interest in
> this topic.
>
> Thank you very much.
>
> Jean
> ----------------------------------
> Jean Sayre
> Associate Director
> NN/LM Greater Midwest Region
> Library of the Health Sciences M/C 763
> 1750 W. Polk Street
> University of Illinois at Chicago
> Chicago, Illinois 60612
> 1-800-338-7657
> 312-996-2464
> 312-996-2226--Fax
> jwsayre[_at_]uic.edu
> http://www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov/gmr/
> -----------------------------------

Ms. Sayre and members of the list,

I have never posted to the list, since joining a couple of years ago. Major lurker.

Yes, there was a gentleman visiting our campus. He knows that we ARE complying with the rules. Rumor has it, that there are copy shops (off campus) that ARE making coursepacks, etc, without getting permissions for material. Not Kinkos. Needless to say, they can make them cheaper.

I have not had any problem with CCC. They have given me a contact person. If I have a problem, want to know if a journal is listed with them, etc. she helps me out and in a very timely manner. Wonderful young lady. The gentleman that was here, was checking more into the copycenters (off campus) that are NOT getting permissions.

If you are making more than one copy, for a meeting or anything else, then you do need a clearance for it. I'm sure you'll let me know, if I'm wrong about that. :) It does get expensive. We do not print cartoons, newspaper articles, journal articles, whatever , without a clearance. And, yes, these are used for educational purposes and handed out in class. We rarely use Fair Use. It's just too gray an area. I've had journals and authors give us free use since we use it in the classroom. I have also had some charge as much as $9.00 a copy.

This is only my opinion. It is not a legal opinion.

Carol Milham
Purdue University Printing Services
Copyrights Department (department of one) W. Lafayette, IN
<csmilham[_at_]prnt-01.prtserv.purdue.edu> Received on Wed Feb 24 1999 - 12:32:10 GMT