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IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mount Allison students opposed to Access Copyright/AUCC model license agreement Students call on administration to reject model copyright license Sackville, NB May 8, 2012 The Mount Allison Students Union does not support the model license agreement between Access Copyright and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and is encouraging administrators at Mount Allison University to not sign on to the license, calling the agreement harmful to students and a step backward for user rights and open access to educational resources. The model license agreement increases the Access Copyright flat fee by over 600%. At Mount Allison, this increase will be passed on to students through the disbursement of their tuition fees in Mount Allisons operating budget. This decision is more than just a monetary one, however, as it has been depicted by some, said Pat Joyce, President of the Mount Allison Students Union. The reality is that Mount Allison has an opportunity here to reject this license, support its students in the progressive movement for greater user rights and use of open access materials, and cease to support an organization that openly lobbies against copyright legislation that is beneficial to the post-secondary sector. This type of support and progressive leadership is what students hope to expect from Canadas #1 undergraduate university. The proposed license includes provisions that restrict the usage and storage of copyrighted materials to secure networks operated by the University, attempts to regulate already existing legal user rights including the sharing of links via email, and provides no new rights to copyright users. While this license purports to grant access to a breadth of digital resources, the scope of digital materials covered by Access Copyright is extremely limited, representing barely more than one percent of its print repertoire, said Kylie de Chastelain, Vice-President, Academic Affairs. Essentially, this agreement amounts to an expensive and unnecessary insurance policy; Mount Allison already owns over one hundred campus-wide electronic database licenses, open access licensing is becoming increasingly prevalent in the dissemination of research, and with copyright reform legislation including the addition of education as an exemption for fair dealing expected to pass later this year, there is simply no need for this type of blanket license agreement. The Mount Allison Students Union represents over 2400 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. For media inquiries please contact: Pat Joyce President, Mount Allison Students Union sacpresident@mta.ca (506) 364-3230

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