Tag Archives: Patterson Award

Winston Tabb posing with the Patterson Award

The nomination period is open for the L. Ray Patterson Award, an American Library Association-sponsored honor that recognizes particular individuals or groups who “embody the spirit of the U.S. Copyright law as voiced by the framers of our Constitution: ‘to advance the knowledge of science and useful arts.’” Nominations will be accepted through February 15, 2013. Apply now.

Appropriate nominees for the Patterson Award are persons or groups who have made significant and consistent contributions in the areas of academia, law, politics, public policy, libraries or library education to the pursuit of copyright principles as outlined below.

The award is named after L. Ray Patterson, a key legal figure who explained and justified the importance of the public domain and fair use. He helped articulate that copyright law was negatively shifting from its original purpose and overly favoring rights of copyright holders. His book, The Nature of Copyright: A Law of Users’ Rights, is the definitive book on the constitutional underpinnings of copyright and the critical importance of the public domain.

Please include illustrate examples of how your nominee has contributed to the pursuit of the fundamental tenets of copyright law. Nominees who have worked or collaborated with libraries will be given special consideration. Send letters of nomination outlining a candidate’s qualifications for this award to:

Carrie Russell, Director, Program on Public Access to Information
ALA Office for Information Technology Policy
1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, First Floor
Washington, DC 20009

Submissions can also be emailed to Russell at crussell@alawash.org. For more information, go to http://www.ala.org/advocacy/copyright/pattersonaward.

In 2002, ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) established the L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award to honor particular individuals or groups who “embody the spirit of the U.S. Copyright law as voiced by the framers of our constitution: ‘to advance the knowledge of science and useful arts’ (U.S. Constitution, art 1, sec 8).

Nominations for the 2010 award will be accepted through March 1, 2010.

Ray Patterson was a foremost legal thinker, writer and champion of users’ rights. He was a pioneer who exposed the restrictive nature of new interpretations and unnecessary expansions of contemporary copyright law. For librarians, Patterson was a key legal figure who articulated how corporate interests have sidetracked the true purpose of copyright – to advance learning and the dissemination of knowledge.  Through numerous books, articles, and briefs, Patterson highlighted and justified the importance of the public domain and fair use.

In recognition of his life accomplishments and contributions, the American Library Association calls for nominations to the award established in Patterson’s name.  Appropriate nominees for the Patterson Award are persons or groups who have made significant and consistent contributions in the areas of academia, law, politics, public policy, libraries or library education to the pursuit of copyright principles as outlined below.

The fundamental tenets established by Congress when crafting U.S. Copyright law:

• The creation of new knowledge and the arts is encouraged;
• The creation and dissemination of knowledge is the purpose of copyright;
• Congress is granted the power to encourage creation of new works, but only via a very specific method, by granting authors and inventors exclusive rights;
• The exclusive rights granted should be for a limited time;
• Authors and inventors can benefit financially from copyright but this is a side effect of encouraging the dissemination of knowledge, the direct intent of copyright; and
• The rights of authors and inventors are granted by Congress and are not intrinsic or natural.

 Past awardees include Peter Jaszi, Law Professor at the American University Washington College, Prudence Adler, Association of Research Libraries, Kenny Crews, Columbia University, Peggy Hoon, University of North Carolina and Jack Bernard, University of Michigan.

Please send letters of nomination outlining a candidate’s qualifications for this award to Carrie Russell, Director, Program on Public Access to Information, ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, First Floor, Washington, DC 20009, or to crussell@alawash.org.  Please include illustrate examples of how your nominee has contributed to the pursuit of the fundamental tenets of copyright law. Nominees who have worked or collaborated with libraries will be given special consideration.