Re: digest 581

[Michael Rancer <mrancer@library.berkeley.edu>]

As a public university, the University of California is subject to state
laws about open records.  I tell all vendors who try to require
nondisclosure agreements that it just won't happen.  Never yet had one
press the point after that.

Mike Rancer
Univ. of Calif.
Berkeley

At 12:02 AM 01/26/2001 -0500, Electronic Content Licensing Discussion wrote:

>From: "Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>
>To: "Liblicense-L@Lists. Yale. Edu" <liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu>
>Subject: Vendor nondisclosure agreement
>Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 12:54:05 EST
>
>(This has also been posted to ACQNET -- apologies for any duplication.)
>
>A member of the Acquisitions staff here at UNR recently registered to use
>the website of one of our vendors, and subsequently received in the mail a
>nondisclosure agreement to be signed by everyone in the department who
>plans to use the site; the NDA says that we promise not to give out our
>password. We're not talking about access to a database of online content
>here, but rather to the vendor's ordering service and title list.  No
>other vendor we work with requires us to sign such an agreement, and
>frankly, I don't really see why we should.  I'm inclined to say "No,
>thanks."  (Interestingly, I recently had a similar conversation with the
>folks at netLibrary, who include nondisclosure language in their standard
>license agreement.  We took that language out, which is why I can tell you
>it exists.)  It's not that we want to distribute our password, of course;
>it's just that I don't like making contractual agreements without good
>reason.
>
>I assume that others have either signed or refused to sign this agreement
>or others like it -- any interesting and/or helpful experiences to share?
>
>-------------
>Rick Anderson
>Electronic Resources/Serials Coordinator
>The University Libraries
>University of Nevada, Reno
>1664 No. Virginia St.
>Reno, NV  89557
>PH  (775) 784-6500 x273
>FX  (775) 784-1328
>rickand@unr.edu