Topic: University Libraries

March 26, 2008

Ball State presents its fifth annual copyright conference, "Copyright in Oz: Over the Rainbow or I'll Get Your Little Dog, Too?" from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. April 23 at the Alumni Center.

The goal of the conference is to help attendees understand how to properly use copyrighted materials in an educational setting.

"This year's theme relates to using someone else's copyrighted intellectual property," said Fritz Dolak, conference chair and manager of Ball State's copyright and intellectual property office. "It pertains to some people's ideas of copyright being rather naïve, which can lead to consequences that can be threatening or detrimental."

Special guest speaker David Carson will present. Carson, associate register for policy and international affairs at the U.S. Copyright Office, assists the register of copyrights in advising Congress and executive branch agencies on domestic and international copyright policy matters.

Other guest speakers include:

  • Dwayne Buttler, professor and first Evelyn J. Schneider Endowed Chair for Scholarly Communication at the University of Louisville, University Libraries
  • Michelle Cooper, attorney in the Education Law Group at Bose McKinney & Evans LLP
  • Kenneth Crews, director of the Copyright Advisory Office, Columbia University
  • James Williams, attorney at DeFur Voran LLP.

Ball State has the only annual copyright conference in the Midwest.

The conference's sponsors include Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, DeFur Voran LLP, Paws Inc. and the Muncie Visitors Bureau, as well as Ball State's Digital Policy Institute, Office of University Advancement and J-Ideas.

For more information or to register, visit www.bsu.edu/library/conference/copyright. The cost for Ball State faculty and staff is $45. Others can register by April 8 for $95. Registration after this date or at the door is $125. Contact Dolak at 765-285-5330 for additional information.

By Jennifer Strempka