Discussion of current trends in distance education focuses on the use of compressed video and two-way video and audio configurations. Topics include planning and development strategies, cultivating a feeling of connectivity, guidelines for visual materials, communication between students and the instructor, copyrights, and suggestions for the…

Representatives of American publishers have agreed that an assertive new effort is needed to prevent unauthorized copying of electronic materials, particularly through computers linked to the World Wide Web. Copyright management systems are proposed as a means to provide protection for content of intellectual property and for on-line financial…

Provides an overview of material offered at seminars put on by the Video Education for Libraries Project. Discussion covers all aspects of collection development and video services policy including copyright considerations. The importance of independent film works for collections is emphasized. (EA)

Describes why developers of multimedia products face a more complex legal landscape than do developers of "few-media" products. Describes the laws that pertain to multimedia. Discusses how developers of multimedia products might walk the legal labyrinth and protect themselves and their companies from lawsuits. (SR)

Electronic data interchange (EDI) permits two parties to enter into a contract without the use of paper and human signatures, which are historically associated with commerce in goods and services. As federal legislation governing contractual information changes to accommodate electronic formats, provisions must be crafted in a technology-neutral…

Presents a series of library- and legal-related perspectives on video copyright, and then delineates strategies for clarifying the copyright law for both copyright holders and users. (CB)

Discusses microcomputer-based reformatting of text to help learners with disabilities. Highlights include letter size; spacing; copyright problems; expanding the target audience to make systems more cost effective; writing skills; voice input; and further enhancements, including networked systems and the use of hypertext. (14 references) (LRW)

Reviews the 1989 literature on reproduction of library materials under the following headings: Microforms in Libraries; Bibliographic Control; Micrographics Equipment; Micropublishing; Preservation Microfilming; Technical Production of Microforms; Micrographic Standards; Photocopiers and Photocopying; Telefacsimile; Audiovisual Collections; New…

This report of commercial Web sites which post class notes without faculty permission focuses on moral aspects, possible copyright violations, and potential lawsuits. Web site operators counter that the notes, taken by students, are "interpretations" of the class rather than verbatim transcripts. A few faculty are supportive of the Web sites. (DB)

Examines issues in the current copyright law, such as classroom and fair-use exemptions, which impede efforts by institutions of higher education to provide distance-education courses. Recommendations for amendation under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act are offered, and the competing interests of content providers and educators are noted. (DB)

Provides summaries of the presentations at the North Carolina Library Association's Biennial Conference, "Choose Quality, Choose Libraries," (Raleigh, NC, October 8-10, 1997). Some of the topics covered include library instruction, Internet access to public documents, outsourcing technical services, copyrights and the Internet, the…

Discusses how convergence of communication technologies, computers, and broadcast media has given birth to cyberspace challenges to many traditional jurisprudential assumptions, based until now on two-dimensional models of physical presence and space. Discusses legal issues raised by the Internet in areas such as the appropriateness of regulation,…

Explores moral rights protections in the United States (which allow creators to safeguard their personal, as opposed to pecuniary, rights in their work) and compares them with protections in other parts of the world. Discusses litigation involving moral rights in a university setting. Offers observations on what universities can do to enhance the…

The author discusses the issue of copyright, oldies, and digital preservation. He examines efforts being made to create digital sound repositories for music record prior to 1970 at such places as Yale, Syracuse, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress. These issues are explored by contrasting the music industry's concern for loss…

The debate on the efficacy of electronic books involves issues of fair use, digital rights management, preservation, and perpetual ownership. Nevertheless, our intense focus on these areas has distracted us from one of the most important aspects of content pluralism? namely, e-book relationships to book distributors. This article discusses E-books…