Vassar College Director of Copyright Management

The Director of Copyright Management is appointed by and reports to the Dean of the Faculty. The director is charged with assuring that the College's copyright policy is made known to members of the College community, and that the College is informed of changes in interpretations of copyright law, of pending legislation and of legal decisions arising from litigation that might affect the College. The director shall arbitrate differences of opinion among members of the Vassar community concerning fair use under copyright law. The director also serves as the College's agent to receive notification of claimed copyright infringement in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. As needed, the director shall consult C ollege counsel concerning questions of copyright law.

Qualifications

The director should have thorough knowledge of copyright law and of currently accepted interpretation of fair use. The director should understand the mission of the College and how important the free flow of ideas and information are to the College's educational program. The director should have the respect and confidence of the faculty and administration.

Duties

  1. The director shall see that the College copyright policy is made known to students, staff and faculty, and shall provide information, answer questions, and facilitate programs aimed at helping the Vassar community understand how to pursue the educational mission of the College in the context of fair use and copyright law.
  2. The director shall serve as an advocate for College constituents in support of the widest dissemination of knowledge and the encouragement of "the immediate experience of creative ideas, works of art, and scientific discoveries," in keeping with Vassar's statement of academic purpose as adopted by its Board of Trustees.
  3. The director shall work with an advisory group of librarians, other information professionals, the College bookstore management, and any other College employees who are charged with assisting members of the College community in securing copyright permission for materials used in teaching and research.
  4. The director shall oversee the maintenance of a Vassar copyright and fair use web page, which shall include the College copyright policy statement and pertinent materials about the background, conflicts, and emerging issues in copyright law. The web page shall be promptly updated as new information about copyright law appears.
  5. In the event of a difference of opinion concerning fair use under copyright law, the director shall serve as arbiter, and shall render a timely decision. If either party objects to the decision, the director shall convene and chair an arbitration tribunal. If necessary, the director shall consult and be guided by College counsel concerning questions of copyright law.

Prepared by the Dean of the Faculty's College Copyright Committee.
Last Updated: August 14, 2001.