In the latest development in a dispute with broad implications for colleges nationwide, UCLA says it will continue to stream online instructional videos to students. The move comes after a trade group urged the university to review copyright laws and threatened legal action if campus officials did not stop offering free unlimited access to the educational content.
UCLA officials suspended their streaming video program in January after the Association for Information Media Equipment (AIME)—a nonprofit organization that advocates for “fair and appropriate use of media”—said the university didn’t have permission to offer unlimited access to students through its password-protected class web sites.
A university IT official said March 3 that UCLA’s resumption of the streaming video initiative was a necessary stand against opponents of open access to educational resources.
“Course instruction long ago ceased to be bound by the walls of the classroom, and we are obligated to provide students with appropriate instructional content in whatever medium helps to foster an effective learning environment,” Jim Davis, UCLA’s vice provost for IT and chief academic technology officer, said in a statement. “We’re well aware the outcome of this dispute could affect other educational institutions, and it’s important that UCLA take a leadership role and demonstrate just how critical the appropriate use of technology is to our educational mission.”
The university described the temporary suspension of its video streaming as a “good-faith gesture” to keep the issue out of court after AIME said faculty members should obtain special streaming licenses before they use video in their classes.
UCLA’s legal team concluded that the streaming program was legal under the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act, which allows online transmission of copyright-protected works specifically for educational purposes.
Faculty members will have to spell out how online videos will supplement their course content before they are given permission to stream the content, according to the university’s policy.
UCLA officials expect the school’s video streaming to resume this spring.
“While we believe our previous protocols were consistent with applicable laws, this modification provides an extra layer of assurance and transparency so that we can resume streaming videos as soon as possible, rather than prolonging the impact on students and faculty through additional negotiations,” Davis said.
A big player in the educational copyright arena supported the university’s decision to move ahead with streaming content. The Library Copyright Alliance, whose members include the Association of Research Libraries and the American Library Association, said in a Feb. 19 statement that educators did not need a special license to use streaming video content as part of their courses.
“Educational institutions should know and exercise their rights to use copyrighted works to extend and enrich the classroom experience,” the organization said in its legal statement, adding that “works marketed primarily for the use in distance education would not fall within [provisions of the TEACH Act].”
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