In light of recent discussion on this list, it would seem appropriate to
advertise a forthcoming JISC workshop on "Facing the Legal Challenges of
Providing Internet Access In Higher Education Establishments" to be held on
Thursday 23 October at Burleigh Court, University of Loughborough.
The agenda and publicity material is below for information. There will be
a charge of 100 pounds for the workshop. The event is designed to provide a
broad overview of the main legal issues which might arise from the provision
of Internet access in Further and Higher Education establishments. People
who should attend: University Administrators , Public Relation Officers,
Heads of Departments, Computer Centre Directors.
Alice Colban
JISC Secretariat
==================
Facing the Legal Challenges of Providing Internet Access in HEIs
Thursday 23 October at Burleigh Court, University of Loughborough.
Agenda
9.30am Registration and Coffee
10.00 Opening Remarks (15 mins)
Chair: Mike Tedd, Joint Information Systems Committee
Organiser: Andrew Charlesworth, School of Law, University of Hull
10.15am Session 1 - Intellectual Property (1hr 15 mins)
Professor Charles Oppenheim, De Montfort University
Topics covered: Copyright
Trademark
11.30am Coffee (15 mins)
11.45am Session 2 - Criminal Liability (1 hr 15 mins)
Mark Gould, Department of Law, University of Bristol
Topics covered: Obscene Materials/Pornography
Computer Misuse
Contempt of Court
Racial Hatred
1.00pm Lunch (1hr)
2.00pm Session 3 - Data Protection/Defamation (1 hr 15 mins)
Andrew Charlesworth, School of Law, University of Hull
Topics covered: Data Protection
Libel
3.15pm Tea (15 mins)
3.30pm Session 4 - Educating the User, Training the Administrator (1hr 15
mins)
Andrew Charlesworth, School of Law, University of Hull
Topics covered: Education of the user as to the potential
consequence of their actions
Training Administrators in how to deal with potential problems
Providing a coherent administrative reaction.
Obtaining and protecting your own rights
The need for a rights management framework.
4.45pm Panel Discussion
Opportunity for delegates to question the speakers on the issues
raised.
5.30pm Conference Ends
Facing the Legal Challenges of Providing Internet Access In Higher
Education Establishments
Publicity Material
Until the development of the WWW in the early 1990s, the ability to collate
information in book, journal or pamphlet form, and then disseminate copies
on a large-scale to a world-wide audience, was almost exclusively the
province of increasingly monolithic firms of international publishers, and
of government bodies and international organisations. It is now the case
that, by creating one copy on a Web server and allowing others to access it,
an individual can publish on a similar international scale with a minimum of
cost and effort. It is a degree of change in the potential for dissemination
of information equaled only by the Gutenberg press, and it has occurred in
well under half a decade.
What has occurred as a result of the scale and speed of that change is an
equally important shake up in the laws that relate to information
dissemination. However, this shake up is not without its own difficulties,
and these have affected the speed that both individuals and institutions
have adopted and used the developing technology.
Firstly, the law itself does not, and indeed cannot, react at such speeds,
not least because the necessary knowledge base amongst lawmakers required to
reach effective legal solutions is lacking.
Secondly, the rate at which individuals have been able to enter this brave
new world of international publishing has at present outstripped the rate at
which they can be educated in even the basics of the laws relating to
publishing in their own countries.
Thirdly, those individuals and institutions who might incur legal liability
as a result of their own actions, or those of employees, or of other
associated persons are often unsure of the relevant law, or how to shield
themselves adequately from unnecessary loss. This may result in a failure
to take full advantage of the technology, or in an unreasonable disregard
for practical precautions. Both these reactions are undesirable, and both
are avoidable.
Aim of the Conference/Seminar
This conference is designed to provide a broad overview of the main legal
issues which might arise from the provision of Internet access in Further
and Higher Education establishments. In particular it will examine recent
developments in the law, such as the UK Defamation Act 1996, the EC Data
Protection Directive, and the Shetland Times case, and explain how these
might affect the way that individual users, administrators, and institutions
should approach the legalities of WWW use. To this end, the first three
sessions will address the issues of intellectual property, criminal
liability, data protection and defamation - the Four Horsemen of the
Internet .
The conference will also address the question of "Who is Responsible?" That
is, if a breach of the law occurs, against whom will the potential liability
lie - the academic or the student, the educational institution or its
officers. This topic will run as a thread throughout the first three
sessions, but will be specifically addressed in the fourth and final
session, where possible institutional Internet use strategies will be
examined. This session will examine the provision of user guidelines, the
implementation of institutional regulations, and good administrative
practice. It will also discuss the fact that in some areas, such as
copyright, educational institutions may need to ensure that they have
secured and protected rights of their own, not just protected those of other
people.
People who should attend:
University Administrators
Public Relation Officers
Heads of Departments
Computer Centre Directors.
========================
Facing the Legal Challenges of Providing Internet Access in HEIs
Thursday 23 October at Burleigh Court, University of Loughborough.
BOOKING FORM
Please complete the following details and return to Hazel Gott at
UKOLN (see below for full contact details).
Full Name:
Job title:
Institution name:
Postal address:
Telephone:
Fax:
Email:
Special dietary (including vegetarian), or mobility requirements:
Cost: 100 pounds sterling per delegate.
All payment must be in pounds sterling only, made payable to The
University of Bath, by either:-
1. Cheque/banker's draft.
2. Payment on receipt of invoice (please give address for invoice).
3. Credit card (not Diners Club and American Express). To ensure
security please contact Hazel Gott (details below) with your credit
card details.
If you prefer to register by email to [log in to unmask], please give
all the details requested above, plus the following:
Payment details,
cheque/bank transfer posted (please give date)
or
bankers draft actioned (please give date)
or
invoice required (please give relevant name/address)
The closing date for booking is Friday 17 October 1997.
Cancellations after this date will incur a cancellation fee of 50 pounds
sterling, though a substitute delegate is acceptable.
These details and an application form are available at URL -
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/copyright/
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis as no more than 100
participants can be accommodated.
For clarification or further details please contact Hazel Gott (details
below)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Hazel Gott *
* Promotions Officer *
* UKOLN (United Kingdom Office for Library and Information Networking) *
* The Library, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK *
* Tel: +44 (0)1225 826256; Fax: +44 (0)1225 826838; *
* [log in to unmask]; URL: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
