Following a thorough review, the University
of New Brunswick has decided not to sign a license agreement with Access
Copyright, recently negotiated with the Association of Universities and Colleges
of Canada (AUCC). This decision reflects UNB’s concerns about academic freedom
and the cost of higher education, supported by taxpayers and students.

Along with several other universities across
Canada, UNB has been operating outside of the Access Copyright tariff since
September 1, 2011. The measures taken by the university since that 2011
decision have strongly positioned UNB to enable students and faculty to access
teaching and research materials, while ensuring that authors and copyright
holders are compensated appropriately for use of their work.  To this end, UNB Libraries has established a
system of copyright clearance support and maintains negotiated licenses
covering approximately 37,000 electronic journals and 500,000 eBooks that
provide extensive rights for our use in teaching and research.

“The UNB Student
Union is pleased that the University of New Brunswick has stopped the addition
of a new ancillary fee to students by not signing the license agreement with
Access Copyright, despite minimal discussions with students,” said UNB
Fredericton Student Union President Andrew Martel.

“The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) at UNB Saint John is pleased
that administration has decided against signing the Access Copyright agreement,”
said UNB Saint John SRC President Brad Trecartin. “UNB, along with many other
institutions across the country, has declared it to not be in the best
interests of students nor worth the additional fees to that the students would
be burdened with.”

“AUNBT (The Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers)
welcomes this decision as signing the licensing agreement would have given up
on hard-won fair use rights and imposed costs that would ultimately have to be
borne by students,” said Jula Hughes, AUNBT President. “Our library colleagues
are to be commended for the hard work that has made this decision possible.”

UNB’s faculty, staff, and students, with
assistance from our librarians and copyright office, have worked very hard
since 2011 when UNB decided to operate in a copyright compliant fashion without
resorting to the interim tariff from Access Copyright.  This action supports our strategic plan in
respect of intellectual property rights and a sustainable future.

For more information visit http://www.lib.unb.ca/copyright/ .