<![CDATA[Illegal Downloads and Libraries–This is Important!]]>Do you worry about people downloading illegally at your library?  Have you heard of libraries getting fined because someone has downloaded something illegally?  Do you use filters to keep users from certain sites where they might download something illegally?

Okay, here’s the really important thing:  “because of a provision in the copyright law, third parties (like the library) cannot be held liable for the actions of their users.”  So, if you do get served with a cease and desist notice, don’t pay that fine!  Instead, point to your liability protection under the copyright law.

Read My Conversation With a Copyright Troller to learn more.

troll

Carrie Russell, ALA Director of the Program on Public Access to Information in the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), knows what she’s talking about.  I’ve heard her speak and she is probably one of the foremost authorities on copyright, and she speaks and writes in ways the rest of us can understand.

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