Source: http://copyright.lib.harvard.edu/states/virginia/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 09:21:05+00:00

Document:
Virginia law specifies that copyrightable materials created by state employees within the scope of their employment are the intellectual property of the commonwealth. A statute mandates that the Secretary of Administration establish policies for the release of Commonwealth-owned copyrights, which must at a minimum authorize state agencies to release all potentially copyrightable materials under the Creative Commons or Open Source Initiative licensing system "as appropriate." VA Code Ann. § 2.2-2822.
Several Virginia attorney general opinions indicate that the state may hold copyrights. See 1981-82 Va. Rep. Att'y Gen. 443 (1982); 1981-82 Va. Rep. Att'y Gen. 321 (1982). Note that this is not inconsistent with the law quoted above, which allows the state to retain copyright in state documents, but requires that open licensing standards be met. The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council  has indicated that "There are no exemptions [in the Freedom of Information Act] for copyright[ed] data" and that copyrighted records must be provided under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, Opinion AO-20-00.
Virginia has had a limited common law right of access to government records since at least 1896. See Gleaves v. Terry, 93 Va. 491, 25 S.E. 552, 552 (1896). The current Virginia Freedom of Information Act was first enacted in 1968 and may be found at Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-3700. The Supreme Court of Virginia has held that the right of access to court records provided by Va. Code Ann. § 17.1-208 is the equivalent of a constitutional right of access. Daily Press, Inc. v. Com., 285 Va. 447, 456, 739 S.E.2d 636, 641 (2013).
Virginia does not restrict records requests based on the purpose of the request or the intended use, including records requested for commercial use. Associated Tax Serv., Inc. v. Fitzpatrick, 236 Va. 181, 187, 372 S.E.2d 625, 629 (1988).
The Virginia Freedom of Information Act restricts its guarantee of public records access to Virginia citizens. Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-3704. This citizens-only provision was recently challenged as unconstitutional, but was upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court. McBurney v. Young, 133 S. Ct. 1709, 185 L. Ed. 2d 758 (2013). The Freedom of Information Advisory Council issued a statement after McBurney encouraging state agencies to respond to out-of-state as well as in-state requests, but advising that they need not be held to as stringent time standards. See Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, Responding To Requests From Out-Of-State.
Virginia law identifies that public records are the "property of the Commonwealth" on several occasions: Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-2822 ("Patents, copyrights or materials that were potentially patentable or copyrightable developed by a state employee during working hours or within the scope of his employment or when using state-owned or state-controlled facilities shall be the property of the Commonwealth."); Middlesex Cnty. v. Hamilton, 28 Va. Cir. 283 (1992) ("Public records are the property of the state."), citing Coleman v. Commonwealth, 66 Va. (25 Gratt.) 865, 881 (1874)).
Virginia law authorizes the seizure of records from persons not authorized to retain them. Va. Code Ann. § 42.1-90.
Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, available at http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/foiacouncil.htm.
Library of Virginia, available at http://www.lva.virginia.gov/.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Open Government Guide: Access to Public Records and Meetings in Virginia, available at http://www.rcfp.org/rcfp/orders/docs/ogg/VA.pdf.
Gleaves v. Terry, 93 Va. 491, 25 S.E. 552, 552 (1896).
Associated Tax Serv., Inc. v. Fitzpatrick, 236 Va. 181, 187, 372 S.E.2d 625, 629 (1988), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10455092125384246812.
McBurney v. Young, 133 S. Ct. 1709, 185 L. Ed. 2d 758 (2013), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=2705296316682556891.
Middlesex Cnty. v. Hamilton, 28 Va. Cir. 283 (1992).
Coleman v. Commonwealth, 66 Va. (25 Gratt.) 865, 881 (1874).
Daily Press, Inc. v. Com., 285 Va. 447, 456, 739 S.E.2d 636, 641 (2013), available at http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=13187653303424208772.
Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-2822, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+2.2-2822.
Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-3700, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+2.2-3700.
Va. Code Ann. § 30-179, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+30-179.
Va. Code Ann. § 30-34.10:2, available at https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?000+cod+30-34.10C2.
Va. Code Ann. § 23-4.3, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+23-4.3.
Va. Code Ann. § 2.2-3704, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+2.2-3704.
Va. Code Ann. § 42.1-90, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+42.1-90.
Va. Code Ann. § 17.1-208, available at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+17.1-208.
1981-82 Va. Rep. Att'y Gen. 443 (1982).
1981-82 Va. Rep. Att'y Gen. 321 (1982).
Virginia Freedom of Information Council, Opinion AO-20-00, available at http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/ops/00/AO_20.htm.
Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, Responding To Requests From Out-Of-State, available at http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/out%20of%20state%20requests.pdf.
 The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council is authorized to provide advisory opinions to assist in the interpretation of the Freedom of Information Act. Va. Code Ann. § 30-179.

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