This question is of great interest to the TrustDR project (see below for project details) as the issues around licensing in the increasingly varied repository landscape become evident. We are focussing on repositories of Learning Objects in the UK, but note that this is just one type of content that an institution must deal with in its wider output/use of Intellectual Property, and which it chooses to manage with digital repositories. (I now note how specific we have to be about terminology following the "Institutional Repository" name/content discussions!)

Our research aims to gain an insight into current UK educational practice to feed into outputs such as guidance materials or benchmarking tools. We also hope to carry out a mapping exercise between policies and existing licences (such as Creative Commons) and for this we would like actual examples of institutional policy and procedures*. We therefore would like to invite you to respond to the questionnaire below and if possible attach any policy documentation referred to. Feel free to respond with "don't know" to any of the questions, or to forward to other people in your institution. Please send all replies to me rather than the list - I will digest and give feedback of response if the list would find that useful.

*Any Policy documents supplied will be treated in confidence and reporting/analysing anonymised. If we wish to use identifiable extracts from policies for any other reason (for example to provide exemplars for a report) we will ask your permission. Please note that policies will be examined in the context of UK legislation, while bearing in mind relevant international variations in (for example) IP / employment laws.


About TrustDR - Trust in Digital Repositories
The project has been funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the UK for a two-year period as part of the Digital Repositories Programme The project is to examine the practical issues in setting up digital rights management (DRM) systems in repositories of learning objects. In this context "systems" are not just about technical issues, but includes policies, protocols and perhaps most importantly cultural attitudes. The work of the project will be focussing on the real-world issues that people are encountering in creating and sharing materials in digital repositories and their associated digital content supply chains. We will be looking to provide guidance and development materials that people can use to create practical solutions to the task of managing the rights in their teaching materials.
For further information please visit the project website at: http://www.uhi.ac.uk/lis/projects/trustdr/ 


TrustDR Questionnaire
*Apologies for any cross-posting*

Questions about Policy and Infrastructure

1) What policy / guidance documents does your institution have about IP (Intellectual Property) ownership and management in teaching materials that are created in the institution?

2) Are there any licenses, agreements, and procedures your institution uses to manage IP in teaching materials (including employment contract clauses) that are created internally?

3) Is there any policy for managing 3rd party materials used in teaching materials?

4) Is there an institutional teaching and learning strategy and does it make any mention of e-learning, distance learning etc?

5) Is there any policy / guidance on acceptable use of university IT systems for staff and students and what sanctions may be applied

6) Where are digital teaching materials currently stored?
 
*	VLE
*	Departmental web site 
*	Shared drive
*	Central Institutional service/repository
*	Personal Computer
*	Other (please describe)
 

7) Is there any information available about the IP status of the teaching materials?

8) Are there any procedures for dealing with complaints from rights holders against the institution?

Questions about People

1) Who are the designated persons with responsibility for signing licenses and legal documents on behalf of the institution?

2) Who is involved in negotiations with rights holders, both internal and external, for instance to use 3rd party commercial materials, and anyone responsible for overseeing compliance with license terms.

3) What range of staff is involved in developing teaching materials internally and for sale or sharing with outside bodies?

4) Who is involved in managing commercialisation activities at the institution?

5) Who is responsibility for institutional knowledge management, exploitation of the knowledge base and archiving it?

6) Who has institutional strategic responsibility for teaching / distance learning / e learning?

7) Who currently pays for licenses to use 3rd party materials?

8) Who would deal with complaints from rights holders against the institution?

Regards
Jackie

Jackie Proven
Digital Rights Research & Development Assistant
TrustDR JISC Project
UHI Millennium Institute
http://www.uhi.ac.uk/lis/projects/trustdr/

Room 145
Perth College
Crieff Road
Perth PH1 2NX

Tel. 01738 877339
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www.uhi.ac.uk