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Alaska
Copyright Status: Red
Openness Score: 1.31
What is the law?
Binding, on-point law (about)
None
Advisory sources (about)
Several Alaska Attorney General Opinions indicate that the state government may hold copyrights. A 1994 opinion indicated that the Department of Commerce and Economic Development could obtain a copyright in a workbook they created: 1994 Alaska Op. Att'y Gen. (Inf.) 129 (Mar. 24; 663-93-0451). A 1978 opinion determined that the Department of Education could obtain a copyright, 1978 Inf.Op. Att'y Gen. at 1 (Dec. 13; J66–0237–79), and a 1981 opinion expressed a preference for copyright over trademark for protection of state government intellectual property, 1981 Inf.Op. Att'y Gen. at 3 (Sept. 2; A66–0037–82).
Public records law (about)
Alaska has had a statutory right of access to public records since 1900, predating Alaska's admission to the Union. See National Association of Counties, Open Records Laws: A State by State Report, 15 (2010); Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Alaska. The current law can be found at Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.25.100.
Does the public records law restrict the use of disclosed records?
An agency may not require a reason or justification for a public records request: Alaska Admin. Code tit. 2, § 96.220; Alaska Admin. Code tit. 2, § 96.370 allows copying fees to be waived for non-commercial uses.
Specifics and examples (about)
Status | Applies to... | Based on? |
---|---|---|
Copyrightable by statute | software created by a state agency or municipality | Alaska Stat. Ann. § 29.71.060 (West);Alaska Stat. Ann. § 44.99.400 (West) |
Copyrightable by statute | works of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation | Alaska Stat. Ann. § 26.27.100 (West) |
Copyrightable per state Attorney General | works of the Alaska Department of Education | 1978 Inf.Op. Att'y Gen. at 1 (Dec. 13; J66–0237–79) |
Copyrightable per state Attorney General | works of the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development | 1994 Alaska Op. Att'y Gen. (Inf.) 129 (Mar. 24; 663-93-0451); see also http://commerce.alaska.gov/dnn/copyrightnotice.aspx |
Copyrightable per state Attorney General | briefs filed in arbitration proceedings | 1982 Alaska Op. Att'y Gen. (Inf.) (June 24; 66-699-81) |
Additional things to consider (about)
Three statutes (see examples, above) explicitly allow the state government to hold copyrights in specific instances. Alaska Stat. Ann. § 29.71.060 (West); Alaska Stat. Ann. § 44.99.400 (West); Alaska Stat. Ann. § 26.27.100 (West).
According to the Alaska public records law, "[e]very person" has a right to access Alaskan public records. Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.25.120.
Records are referred to as "property of the state" in the Alaska code, Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.21.110, and the Alaska constitution, Alaska Const. art. XV, § 18.
Where else to go
- State of Alaska Attorney General Opinions, available at http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/opinions_index.html.
- Alaska State Archives, available at http://archives.alaska.gov/.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Alaska, available at http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp/orders/docs/ogg/AK.pdf.
Bibliography
Statutes
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.25.100, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#40.25.100.
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.25.120, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#40.25.120.
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 29.71.060, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#29.71.060.
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 44.99.400, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#44.99.400.
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 40.21.110, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#40.21.110.
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Alaska Stat. Ann. § 26.27.100, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp#26.27.100.
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Alaska Const. art. XV, § 18, available at http://ltgov.alaska.gov/Mallott/services/alaska-constitution/article-xv-96A0schedule-of-transitional-measures.html.
Administrative Rules
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Alaska Admin. Code tit. 2, § 96.220, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/aac.asp#2.96.220.
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Alaska Admin. Code tit. 2, § 96.370, available at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/aac.asp#2.96.370.
Attorney General Opinions
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1994 Alaska Op. Att'y Gen. (Inf.) 129 (Mar. 24; 663-93-0451), available at http://www.law.state.ak.us/pdf/opinions/opinions_1994/94-007_663930451.pdf.
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1978 Inf.Op. Att'y Gen. at 1 (Dec. 13; J66–0237–79).
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1981 Inf.Op. Att'y Gen. at 3 (Sept. 2; A66–0037–82).
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1982 Alaska Op. Att'y Gen. (Inf.) (June 24; 66-699-81).
Other
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Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, copyright notice, available at http://commerce.alaska.gov/dnn/copyrightnotice.aspx.
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National Association of Counties, Open Records Laws: A State by State Report, 15 (2010) available at http://www.naco.org/newsroom/pubs/Documents/County%20Management%20and%20Structure/Open%20Records%20Laws%20A%20State%20by%20State%20Report.pdf.
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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Alaska, available at http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp/orders/docs/ogg/AK.pdf.