Message from the Vice President About Intellectual Property

CCRI has a new Intellectual Property Policy which addresses any questions regarding the ownership of copyrights, patents, and trademarks developed by CCRI faculty and staff. The policy was approved by the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education on March 24, 2008.

A website entitled “Copyrights and Intellectual Property,” which can be accessed from the link below, has been created to notify faculty and staff of the new policy and to provide additional information on copyright issues, which we know are often a concern for faculty. Not only does it house the new policy, but there also is a complete summary, which is helpful to read before reviewing the complete policy and its related attachments.

For anyone who teaches a Distance Learning course, there is also a set of proposed policies to follow on the use of copyrighted material belonging to others for your online course. These policies are based upon the federal TEACH Act of 2002, which expanded the copyright exemption for online courses and is also explained on the website.

For those who would like to learn more about copyright law, there is a document on “Copyright Basics” from the Library of Congress’s Copyright Office, a PowerPoint presentation from a session on “Copyright Issues for Faculty” that one of our colleagues held for a higher education conference in 2003, and related documents and guidelines.

All of these resources are provided to answer any number of questions or concerns. We hope it is helpful, but please feel free to contact my office if you have any further questions or concerns.

Visit CCRI's Copyrights and Intellectual Property Website »