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Conference: Connecting Culture and Commerce: Getting the Right Balance
26 January 2007 at the National Gallery
Register and find out more at: 
<http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/>http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/

The Museums Copyright Group with Kings College London are delighted 
to announce that they will be hosting a conference on 26 January 2007 
at the National Gallery entitled "Connecting Culture and Commerce: 
Getting the Right Balance" which will provide a forum for high 
profile expert speakers and representatives from the cultural, media, 
education, commerce, Government as well as other interested sectors 
to debate how to balance cultural and commercial interests. More 
about the conference can be found at 
<http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/>http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/.

This is a critical time for owners and users of cultural content. 
Issues surrounding creative industries, technology and new media 
together with discussions about Intellectual Property Rights are 
being played out at the highest political levels and the landscape 
has the potential to be reshaped dramatically. Cultural heritage 
organisations need to embrace these developments and position 
themselves to ensure that they are represented as a sector that 
provides cultural content, free at the point of access, whilst 
looking to the rights that they own themselves to develop models to 
sustain their core activities.

Speakers will be discussing the exciting challenges ahead to 
suppliers of cultural content who are experiementing with innovative 
ways of opening wider public access to their collections, balanced 
against the needs to protect rights, emerging business and licensing 
models, technological change, the legislative framework and the 
demands of the 21 st Century. It will be an opportunity to openly 
challenge misconceptions about roles and to start discussing new 
working practices and partnerships. The day will be concluding with a 
reception in the evening at the National Gallery to celebrate the 
10th Anniversary of the formation of the Museums Copyright Group. 
More information about the provisional programme can be found at: 
<http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/programme.htm>http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/programme.htm


Who will benefit from attending?

- British, European and international decision makers wanting to 
understand the broader legal, political, economic and social frameowrk

- museums, libraries and archives seeking to provide broad access to 
their collections whilst examining potential business models to 
sustain their activities

- universities and colleges striking a balance between their research 
and teaching aims, developing electronic learning environments and 
their use of open source software and alternative licensing schemes

- government bodies and strategic funding bodies seeking to maximise 
their investments to the cultural and academic sectors through 
repurposing of content, Digital Rights Management and Creative 
Commons licences

- media, broadcasters and publishers involved in the use and supply 
of cultural content

- picture libraries, photo agencies and independent photographers 
trading in images of cultural content and seeking to understand the 
political landscape from the perspective of museums and galleries

- creators, collecting societies and rights holders wanting to ensure 
that their interests are represented

- software and IT companies seeking possible public/private 
partnerships with suppliers of cultural content
businesses basing their sustainability on the use of cultural content

- legal representatives and IPR professionals wishing to familiarise 
themselves with the issues faced by the cultural heritage sector

Registration for the conference has now opened at:
<http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/registration.htm>http://www.kdcs.kcl.ac.uk/mcg2007/registration.htm


Naomi Korn
Secretary, Museums Copyright Group
& Copyright Consultant
Tel: (020) 8886 1764
Mobile: 07957 761 032
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
website: www.naomikorn.com

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Registration for UKMW 2006 'User specified: Museum audiences and the new web
environment' is now open:
http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk/meetings/2-2006.shtml

For mcg information and to manage your subscription to the list, visit the website at http://www.museumscomputergroup.org.uk
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