Main Content
Vermont
Copyright Status: Yellow
Openness Score: 1.73
What is the law?
Binding, on-point law (about)
None
Advisory sources (about)
None
Public records law (about)
Vermont has had a common law right of access to public records since at least 1906. See Clement v. Graham, 78 Vt. 290, 63 A. 146 (1906). The Vermont Right to Know Law invokes the open government policies expressed in Chapter I, Article 6 of the Vermont Constitution, and may be found at Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 315.
Does the public records law restrict the use of disclosed records?
The purpose of a records request is irrelevant to whether the request may be granted, even if the purpose is for commercial solicitation. Finberg v. Murnane, 159 Vt. 431, 437, 623 A.2d 979, 983 (1992).
Specifics and examples (about)
Status | Applies to... | Based on? |
---|---|---|
Copyrightable by statute | "The legislative council, on behalf of the state of Vermont, shall hold the copyright to the Vermont Statutes Annotated." | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 2, § 421 |
Available "at a reasonable charge... to any person" | "Digital format orthophotographic imagery" created by the Vermont Center for Geographic Information [1] | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 32, § 3409 |
Additional things to consider (about)
The Vermont code refers to government documents as "property of the state" in one instance. Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 22, § 146 ("documents and volumes published or provided by the state… shall remain the property of the state"). Vermont law also prohibits the unauthorized removal of records. Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 317A.
Where else to go
- Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, available at https://www.sec.state.vt.us/archives-records.aspx.
- Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, Recordkeeping Database, available at https://www.sec.state.vt.us/archives-records/records-management/legal-requirements/recordkeeping-database.aspx.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Vermont, available at http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp/orders/docs/ogg/VT.pdf.
Bibliography
Cases
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Clement v. Graham, 78 Vt. 290, 63 A. 146 (1906).
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Finberg v. Murnane, 159 Vt. 431, 437, 623 A.2d 979, 983 (1992), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=3112156402723470582.
Statutes
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Chapter I, Article 6 of the Vermont Constitution, available at https://acluvt.org/legal/statutes/public_records_law.pdf.
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Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 315, available at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=01&Chapter=005&Section=00315.
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Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 2, § 421, available at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=02&Chapter=013&Section=00421.
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Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 32, § 3409, available at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=32&Chapter=121&Section=03409.
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Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 22, § 146, available at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=22&Chapter=003&Section=00146.
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Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 317A, available at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/fullsection.cfm?Title=01&Chapter=005&Section=00317a.
Other
- Vermont Center for Geographic Information, Warranty and Copyright Notice, available at http://vcgi.vermont.gov/sites/vcgi/files/warehouse/VCGI_Warranty_Copyright_Notice_2013.pdf.
Footnotes
- [1] Previous versions of this statute authorized the center to copyright maps it created. In 2011, however, the copyright language was replaced with the provision requiring copies to be provided "at a reasonable charge... to any person." This change does not necessarily affect the copyright status of the maps, and the Center appears to continue to assert a proprietary interest in their data; see VCGI's Warranty and Copyright Notice. However, it is undoubtedly more accessible than it was previously. Most recent litigation touching on the copyright status of state documents has concerned mapping data (see, e.g., the cases in Florida, California, New York, and South Carolina). For a general discussion of the copyright status of government mapping data, see Edward A. Pisacreta & Jonathan P. Mollod, Licensing and Commercialization Issues for Geographic Data, 45 Les Nouvelles 1, 5 (2010).