The House Committee on the Judiciary reports favorably on a proposed amendment to a bill (H.R. 4412) to amend Title 17 of the U.S. Code relating to fair use of copyrighted works. The committee recommends passage of the bill to the effect that Section 107 of Title 17 be amended by adding at the end the following: "The fact that a work is…

Comments on court cases dealing with copyrighted materials of special interest to librarians highlight Williams and Wilkins case, Sony case dealing with videocopying, computer programs and databases, government and legal materials in public domain, musical works, and four factors of Section 107 (fair use) of 1976 Copyright Law. (109 references)…

Chaska High School (Minnesota) established a firm district policy to prevent unauthorized, illegal duplication of computer software by teachers and students. The policy's success depends on an ethics re-education program for users, increased funding for software, and a preview library for teachers. (MLH)

Discusses the copyright implications of the practice in some academic libraries of converting reserve materials to electronic format to make more copies available to patrons. Issues considered include fair use, public display, remote availability, character of use, and substantiality of copying. (seven references/notes) (EA)