JISC Legal Monthly - June

Legal Guidance for ICT Use in Education and Research, at:
http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Newsletter.aspx
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Contents include and has more on:

In the Queen's speech, the Freedom Bill is described as a new piece of legislation to return freedoms to the general public and repeal previous complex and unnecessary laws...These significant recommended changes will be of direct relevance to FE and HE institutions.

A dispute over copyright has arisen between a professor and his former employer, Newcastle University...staff working in HE and FE to check the copyright policy in their institutions and, when negotiating copyright ownership, to ensure the agreed terms are clear and contained in their written contract of employment.

The Digital Economy Act 2010 was given royal assent late on Thursday, 8 April 2010...The latest version sees file-sharers accused of infringing copyright having their internet connections suspended, through ‘blocking injunctions’ without the opportunity to be heard before a court...consequences for internet providers including universities, colleges and libraries...another amendment...relating to ‘orphaned works’, where the copyright owner cannot be legitimately traced, has been dropped completely.