Copyright and Closed Captioning in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/jcel.v7i1.20025Abstract
There are many videos that could be used for instruction and research but are inaccessible to those who need closed captions. Academic libraries could play an important role in supporting captioning, but they are hampered by misinformation and misunderstanding about copyright law and unnecessary fear of repercussions. With a better understanding of the current state of the law and how documented practices and community norms have the power to shift the law over time, library workers can be empowered to support captioning, share resources and workflows, and document their activity openly, in collaboration with instructors and with disability services and information technology offices. This article reviews current literature on closed captioning, copyright law, disability law, and accessibility in higher education to illuminate the possibilities for library workers to support video captioning for accessibility purposes, even in cases where permission cannot be obtained from the copyright holder. The research shows an unequivocal fair use protection for educational captioning, a right that is best protected when it is actively asserted and used.
Metrics
References
Adams, T. M., & Holland, C. C. (2017). Streaming media in an uncertain legal environment: A model policy and best practices for academic libraries. Journal of Copyright in Education and Librarianship, 1(2), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.17161/jcel.v1i2.6550
Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities. (2011). Report of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities. https://aem.cast.org/get-started/resources/2011/postsecondary-advisory-commission-report
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990). https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/chapter-126
Association of College & Research Libraries. (2018). Guidelines for media resources in academic libraries. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/mediaresources
Association of Research Libraries. (2012). Code of best practices in fair use for academic & research libraries. https://www.arl.org/code-of-best-practices-in-fair-use-for-academic-and-research-libraries/
Authors Guild, Inc. v. Hathitrust. 755 F.3d 87 (2d Circ. 2014). https://casetext.com/case/authors-guild-inc-v-hathitrust-1
Axelrod, J. (2018). Making materials accessible to students in higher education institutes: Institutional obligations, methods of compliance, and recommendations for future action. Learned Publishing, 31(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1148
Beisler, A., Bucy, R., & Medaille, A. (2019). Streaming video database features: What do faculty and students really want? Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 31(1), 14–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2018.1562602
Bosch, S., Romaine, S., Albee, B., & Elliott, C.M. (2023, April 11). Going for gold, deep in the red. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/going-for-gold-deep-in-the-red
Burke, D. D., Clapper, D., & McRae, D. (2016). Accessible online instruction for students with disabilities: Federal imperatives and the challenge of compliance. Journal of Law & Education, 45, 135–180. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/jle45&i=144
Butler, B., Adler, P., & Cox, K. (2019). The law and accessible texts: Reconciling civil rights and copyrights. Association of Research Libraries. https://www.arl.org/resources/the-law-and-accessible-texts-reconciling-civil-rights-and-copyrights/
Carrasco, M. (2021, December 17). Disabled student unions fight for better accessibility. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/12/17/disabled-student-unions-advocate-accessible-campuses
Center for Media & Social Impact. (n.d.). Codes of best practices. https://cmsimpact.org/report-list/codes/
Chafee Amendment, 17 U.S.C. §§ 121, 121A (1996).
Coates, J., Felsmann, C., Hackett, T., Keninger, K., Martinez Calvo, F., Owen, V., Taylor, A., Pereyaslavska, K., van den Berg, F., & Owen, V. (2018). Getting started: Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty for persons with print disabilities: A practical guide for librarians. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/443
Complaint Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12131–12134, U.S. v. Regents of the University of California, No. 22-7345 (N.D. Cal, 2022). https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/1554296/dl
Consent Decree between the United States and the Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the University of California at Berkeley, U.S. v. Regents of the University of California, No. 22-7345 (N.D. Cal, 2022). https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-document/file/1553516/dl
Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/101
Cover, R. M. (1983). The Supreme Court 1982 term: Foreword: Nomos & narrative. Harvard Law Review, 97(4), 4–68. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13051/2047
CUNY Assistive Technology Services. (n.d.) Video/audio accessibility. http://cats.cuny.edu/media-accessibility-project/video-audio-accessibility/
Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. §1201 (1998). https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/1201
Fenlon, K., Wood, L. C., Downie, J. S., Han, R., & Kinnaman, A. O. (2016). Toward accessible course content: Challenges and opportunities for libraries and information Systems. ASIST 2016, October 14–18, 2016, Copenhagen, Denmark. http://hdl.handle.net/10427/009761
Feldman v. Pro Football, Inc., 579 F. Supp. 2d 697, (D. Md. 2008). https://casetext.com/case/feldman-v-pro-football
Fleischer, D., & Zames, F. (2011). The disability rights movement: From charity to confrontation. Temple University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt14bt7kv
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Pub. L. No. 101-476, 104 Stat. 1103. (1990). https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter33&edition=prelim
Keenan, T. M. (2018). Collaborating to improve access of video for all. Reference Services Review, 46(3), 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-03-2018-0028
Lohmann, S., & Frederiksen, L. (2018). Faculty awareness and perception of streaming video for teaching. Collection Management, 43(2), 101–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2017.1382411
Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, Pub. L. No. 115–261 (2018). https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2559
Marrakesh treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled, June 27, 2013, https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text/301016
National Association of the Deaf. (2016). The NAD and Hulu reach agreement. https://www.nad.org/2016/09/06/the-nad-and-hulu-reach-agreement/
National Association of the Deaf v. Harvard Univ., REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS re Defendant's 23 MOTION to Stay or Dismiss. 3:15-cv-30023, (D. Mass. Feb 09, 2016) ECF No. 50. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4275841/50/national-association-of-the-deaf-v-harvard-university/
National Association of the Deaf v. Harvard Univ., 377 F. Supp. 3d 49 (D. Mass. 2019). https://casetext.com/case/natl-assn-of-the-deaf-v-harvard-univ-1
National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc., 869 F. Supp. 2d 196. (2012). https://casetext.com/case/natl-assn-of-the-deaf-v-netflix-inc
Peacock, R., & Vecchione, A. (2020). Accessibility best practices, procedures, and policies in Northwest United States academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(1), Article 102095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2019.102095
Rehabilitation Act, Section 508. 29 U.S.C. § 794d. (1998). https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/section-508-law/
Reid, B. E. (2021). Copyright and disability. California Law Review, 109(6), 2173– 2225. https://doi.org/10.15779/Z380K26C2B
Stanton, J. F. (2015). [Song ends]: Why movie and television producers should stop using copyright as an excuse not to caption song lyrics. UCLA Entertainment Law Review, 22, 157–192. https://doi.org/10.5070/LR8222027684
Tanasse, G. (2021). Implementing and managing streaming media services in academic libraries (no. 8) [White paper]. Choice. https://www.choice360.org/research/implementing-and-managing-streaming-media-services-in-academic-libraries/
Telecommunications Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-104, 110 Stat (1996). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-104publ104
Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-260, 124 Stat. 2751 (2010). https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/PLAW-111publ260
United States of America v. the Regents of the University of California, No. 22-7345 (N.D. Cal, 2022).
University of Alabama at Birmingham. (2022, November 22). Get your video captioned for free by UAB Disability Services. Student Affairs News. https://www.uab.edu/studentaffairs/news/service-to-the-community/free-video-captioning
University of California Berkeley. (n.d.). How do I get my media captioned? Berkeley Disabled Students’ Program. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://dsp.berkeley.edu/faq/communication-services/how-do-i-get-my-media-captioned
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.). Captioning services for faculty, TA’s, and staff. Disability Resources and Educational Services. https://dres.illinois.edu/accommodations/video-captioning/captioning-services-for-faculty-tas-and-staff/
U.S. Copyright Office. (2015, October). Section 1201 Rulemaking: Sixth triennial proceeding to determine exemptions to the prohibition on circumvention: Recommendation of the Register of Copyrights. https://cdn.loc.gov/copyright/1201/2015/registers-recommendation.pdf
U.S. Copyright Office. (2018, October). Proposed Class 3: Audiovisual Works—Accessibility. In Section 1201 Rulemaking: Seventh triennial proceeding: Recommendation of the Acting Register of Copyrights (pp. 64-79). https://cdn.loc.gov/copyright/1201/2018/2018_Section_1201_Acting_Registers_Recommendation.pdf
U.S. Copyright Office. (2021, October). Proposed Class 2: Audiovisual Works—Accessibility. In Section 1201 Rulemaking: Eighth triennial proceeding: Recommendation of the Register of Copyrights (pp. 89-111). https://cdn.loc.gov/copyright/1201/2021/2021_Section_1201_Registers_Recommendation.pdf
U.S. Copyright Office. (n.d.). Rulemaking proceedings under Section 1201 of Title 17. https://www.copyright.gov/1201/
Video Trust. (n.d.) About ALVT. https://www.videotrust.org/about-alvt
Wood, L. C., Axelrod, J., Downie, J. S., Furlough, M., Unsworth, J., & Wedaman, D. (2017). Libraries, take AIM!: Accessible instructional materials in higher education. Tufts Digital Library. https://dl.tufts.edu/concern/pdfs/fn1079946
Wooten, V. (2012). Waiting and watching in silence: Closed captioning requirements for online streaming under National Association for the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc. and the CVAA. North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, 14, 135–166.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sam Lohmann
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
