Post Tagged with: "degen"

Is Relying on Open Access Materials “Irresponsible”?

Last week I raised the question of whether Canadian universities should consider walking away from Access Copyright in light of its recent tariff demands.  The post did not reject licencing, but rather noted that the combined effect of openly accessible materials, licenced databases, and fair dealing was such that the Access Copyright licence may not be necessary for many professors.  Where there is a need for a specific work that is not otherwise available, it could be directly licenced with the copyright holder, thereby ensuring that the actual author receives full compensation for their work.  In the post, I used myself an example, noting that I am able to rely on openly accessible materials for my courses.

The fact that I rely on openly accessible materials led Access Copyright supporter John Degen to describe my approach as a “shockingly arbitrary and irresponsible policy that will only place artificial (and highly political) limits on education.” Degen then implies that the choice is based on attempting to find cheap materials or ones that are consistent with my political leanings.

Yet the only thing irresponsible is Degen’s effort to link cost with quality. 

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August 18, 2010 106 comments News

Who Needs Copyright, Anyway?

John Degen's Globe and Mail essay declares that there is no copyright crisis.  Degen is the head of the Professional Writers Association of Canada.

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May 18, 2008 4 comments News

Degen Offers Free Download of Novel

John Degen, Executive Director of the PWAC, is offering The Uninvited Guest, which was short-listed for Canada's best First Novel Award, as a freely downloadable PDF.

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May 13, 2008 1 comment News