Update Georgia State Fair Use Lawsuit

Last Round of Filings Made in Georgia State U. Fair-Use Lawsuit

August 4, 2011, 12:06 pm

The plaintiffs and the defendants in the fair-use lawsuit that has pitted three academic publishers against Georgia State University have now filed their final post-trial briefs. That was the last opportunity for each side to make its case before the federal judge overseeing the case in Atlanta delivers a ruling. No date has been set for a decision in the closely watched case, but observers say one is likely by early fall. Cambridge U. Press, Oxford U. Press, and SAGE Publications have alleged that the use of copyrighted material in e-reserves and on faculty Web sites has exceeded the bounds of fair use. (See here for different opinions on what’s at stake for higher education.)