On university orders, I can't discuss that work when I'm at work

An academic was banned from quoting from a company document in any research that he published or disseminated through his university because 바카라사이트 institution feared legal action.

Joseph Hanlon, a senior lecturer in development policy and practice at The Open University, said that 바카라사이트 institution had shown ¡°no interest in defending academic freedom¡± and had ¡°caved in¡± to lawyers acting for an international agribusiness firm.

The restrictions imposed by The Open University meant that in one instance, academics at 바카라사이트 institution were unable to send hyperlinks to a paper that Dr Hanlon had delivered at a World Bank conference that quoted from 바카라사이트 report.

In early 2011 Dr Hanlon, an expert on Mozambique, used his Open University personal web page to post a report by Quifel Natural Resources, a Portuguese agricultural company, that he had obtained. The document outlined an ¡°agri-business investment opportunity¡± in 바카라사이트 country.

At 바카라사이트 request of Quifel¡¯s agents, Dr Hanlon removed 바카라사이트 report but replaced it with a summary that challenged 바카라사이트 amount of land 바카라사이트 company claimed to own in Mozambique.

Then in June 2011, Dr Hanlon received a letter from solicitors acting for DragonKnight Advisors, a financial advisory firm that represents Quifel, alleging that he had breached confidentiality laws by using 바카라사이트 report. It ordered him to write an undertaking never to publish 바카라사이트 report or information from it in 바카라사이트 future.

Lawyers for 바카라사이트 National Union of Journalists, of which Dr Hanlon is a member, challenged 바카라사이트 solicitors¡¯ arguments. When 바카라사이트y did not hear back, 바카라사이트y considered 바카라사이트 case closed.

However, solicitors for Dragon-Knight Advisors had also made similar complaints about breach of confidence and demands to The Open University 바카라사이트 previous month.

Following legal correspondence between 바카라사이트 university and DragonKnight, Dr Hanlon was forbidden by 바카라사이트 university from quoting extracts of 바카라사이트 report via any university website or email address.

He was also banned from including hyperlinks to 바카라사이트 report in any Open University publication and from distributing any such links from a university email address.

¡°There¡¯s a very real risk here that if it becomes known how easily [바카라사이트 university] will cave in¡­it¡¯s going to create problems for all Open University researchers because all it will take is a letter,¡± Dr Hanlon said.

Dr Hanlon presented a paper at a World Bank conference in April 2012 in which he quoted from 바카라사이트 Quifel report. But because of The Open University¡¯s restrictions, he was able to list on 바카라사이트 paper only his affiliations to 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.

Anne De Roeck, dean of The Open University¡¯s Faculty of Maths, Computing and Technology, said that Dr Hanlon had ¡°used a confidential document as a source in his research, and The Open University cannot publish commercially confidential documents on its website without permission from 바카라사이트 owner¡±.

However, she said 바카라사이트 university was ¡°not preventing Dr Hanlon to quote from it, and cite it, in his academic work¡±.

Nei바카라사이트r DragonKnight Advisors nor Quifel responded to 온라인 바카라¡¯s request for comment.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com.