Re: Branch campuses in the Gulf

[Joseph Esposito <espositoj@gmail.com>]

No comment on whether a "site" is a geographical location or a 
logical identifier marked by an IP range (beyond remarking that 
this is precisely the kind of things that should be spelled out 
in contracts before they are executed so that both parties can 
enter into an agreement with their eyes open), but the situation 
does point to the fact that pricing by site, whether physical or 
virtual, is suboptimal.

Better for pricing to be aligned with the costs of delivering the 
service and the benefits accruing thereof.

Joe Esposito

On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Mark Muehlhaeusler
<mpm97@georgetown.edu> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> Georgetown has a permanent presence in Education City, Qatar, 
> that serves as an outpost for its School of Foreign Service. 
> Library resources at the Main Library and in Qatar are shared.
>
> Now a situation has arisen where a publisher insists that our 
> small branch in the Gulf represents a separate campus, for 
> which a separate license -and, of course, payment- is required.
>
> Against our protests that the Main Library and Qatar are one 
> 'site' within the same IP range, the vendor holds that they: 
> "have numerous affiliates of American universities in the 
> Middle East and all of the institutions abide by this policy 
> [of counting branch campuses as separate entities]."
>
> Hence my question: Is this statement true? How do your 
> institutions handle licenses for branch campuses, or offices 
> abroad?
>
> All comments, including off-list, are much appreciated.
>
> Best,
>
> Mark Muehlhaeusler
> Director, Copyright and Licensing
> Georgetown University Library