Copyright and Blackboard

Updated on 24 October 2011 By Bert Frissen

Copyright-protected material cannot be posted in an electronic learning environment like Blackboard (Bb) without the permission of the copyright owners.

The PRO Foundation collects copyright payments for so-called short entries from protected work on behalf of the publishers. This organization has entered into an agreement with the boards of universities via the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences. The agreement sets out the universities’ obligations towards the PRO Foundation in relation to publications in electronic learning environments.

The key elements of this are:

• use in Blackboard is classed as publication

• a data file in Bb is regarded as the equivalent of a ‘reader’

• the number of students who have access is regarded as the circulation

• the university of applied sciences is expected to keep records:

  • of the ‘readers’ present in Bb
  • of the elements of copyright-protected work incorporated in these readers
  • of the ‘circulation’

Guidelines for use of publications in Blackboard

The implementation of these agreements involves a major administrative burden. The general guideline for Blackboard users is therefore to avoid using copyright-protected work. This rule applies to all forms of communication and publicity, including text, visual and audio.

Staff and students at Avans University of Applied Sciences who still want to post copyright-protected material on Blackboard are advised to first familiarize themselves with the dos and don’ts of copyright.

More information about copyright
You can read more about internet and copyright on this website or consult SURFfoundation on digital rights.