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To that end, Blackboard has built the following features and capabilities into Blackboard Ally to help a school or user determine whether downloading an alternative format of a content item is permissible:
Blackboard Ally includes functionality that, prior to downloading an alternative format of a content item, requires an end-user to indicate that: (a) he/she is authorized to obtain an alternative format because, for example, he/she owns the copyright, has a license from the copyright holder, or has a print disability; and (b) he/she will not copy or distribute such alternative format.
In Blackboard Ally, a user who uploads content into a course can determine on a content item by content item basis or course by course basis to enable or disable the availability of alternative formats.
Blackboard Ally screens for password-protected files and pdf’s with metadata restricting derivative works and does not permit creation of alternative formats for those files. Such protections have been put in place by many publishers to help avoid copyright infringement.
Finally, it is important to note that many jurisdictions have exclusions in their copyright laws that permit the creation of alternative formats of content for individuals with disabilities, and that many licenses for content items permit the creation of derivative works (i.e. alternative formats) for all users – for example, instructor-created content may be licensed to users with broad rights to create alternative formats.
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