I kind of feel that it is, but I want to be sure.
Is it OK to publish outlines of professors from a university? It'd be published verbatim though so the names of the professors who created them would be there (attribution). I won't be claiming them as mine, I'd just be publishing them a free resource for anyone who wants to use them.
Or are course outlines copyrighted work in which case I'd require permission?
And yes I know most professors won't complain if I did something like this but I'd like an answer from a purely legal point of view no matter how unlikely it might be in real life.
malds, you failed to mention the name of your state. It could
potentially make a difference with your questions here, but mostly posters are asked to provide their state name because laws vary in significant ways from state to state.
The National Council on Teacher Quality filed, and settled, lawsuits against several schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin already to compel the release of professors' course outlines, and they are pursuing a similar suit in Missouri against several Missouri schools over the release of professor course outlines.
I am not sure what the status of the Missouri suit is currently - the suit was filed in October of last year and in December the judge allowed for the suit to go forward.
You are wrong that professors won't complain - they have, and vigorously, on the grounds that their course outlines are copyright-protected. One of the rights copyright holders have is the right to distribute and publish their work as they wish, and to prevent others from distributing and publishing their work without their permission.
The settlement agreements reached in Wisconsin recognized the copyrights in the course material with a requirement that the course outlines remain confidential. There can be no public quoting by the National Council of any of the course outline contents. The schools in return must provide these course outlines to the National Council on Teacher Quality, for the purpose of, and as a way for, the Council to monitor teacher progress and student learning.
Therefore, Proserpina and tranquility are correct. YOU would not be able to publish professors' course outlines, verbatim or otherwise, without express permission from the professors to do so, because professors' course materials are copyright-protected and to publish without permission would be infringing on the professors' rights. And, depending on your state, the university, the circumstances, and your reasons for wanting to publish the course outlines, there could be very little chance that such permission would be granted - but you could always ask.
