Athabasca University Opts Out of Access Copyright

In a message to students, Frits Pannekoek, president of Athabasca University, Canada’s Open University, announced that “Athabasca University has joined more than 35 other universities in Canada in electing to opt out of using Access Copyright for permissions related to the use of third party materials in courses.”

Access Copyright was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1988 by a group of authors and publishers to protect the value of their intellectual property by ensuring fair compensation when their works are copied.

President’s copyright message to students

September 15, 2011

You may have seen reports in the media that Athabasca University has joined more than 35 other universities in Canada in electing to opt out of using Access Copyright for permissions related to the use of third party materials in courses. We have spent the last six months preparing for this move, by renewing existing permissions for materials used in print Reading Files, and by selecting alternative or electronic selections, accessible through the Digital Reading Room in online courses. Courses in development and revision will be using more open educational resources and online readings already available through library subscription from now on.

One of the reasons for this change is that Access Copyright is proposing to increase the tariff for the use of copyrighted materials from $3.48 to $45.00 per full-time equivalent student. As an online, open university, we cannot afford to pass the additional costs on to students enrolled in our courses.

AU has always licensed best quality materials through our library, and we will always make the best learning resources available to students within the legal copyright environment. All course materials have been and will continue to be compliant with Canadian Copyright Law.

Frits Pannekoek

President, Athabasca University