Major Government Review of Copyright Legislation – Your response is crucial

 

Under the current Copyright Legislation, unless you have permission (or are a prescribed library or archive), museums, galleries and other owners of collections are NOT allowed to make digital or analogue copies of works in their collections in which third parties own copyright for the following purposes:

 

•             Security, insurance, archival or preservation purposes

•             Display on intranet or extranet sites

•             Provision of access to images in the collection on dedicated terminals on the premises

•             Use in Collection Management systems

•             Inclusion within exhibition catalogues

•             Making copies for members of the public

 

This presents very serious issues in terms of our ability to collect, care for and make accessible works in our collection. Part of the problem is the lack of understanding and recognition of the legislators to the great variety and range of organisations and individuals who own cultural heritage collections.

 

Recently, the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) launched an important consultation on proposed new copyright exceptions of broad applicability and impact, which could have important ramifications for public sector bodies, including museums, galleries, libraries, archives and other owners of collections. The consultation calls for interested parties to respond, giving evidence and supporting views about the impact of the proposed exceptions.

 

www.ipo.gov.uk/about/about-consult/about-formal/about-formal-current/consult-copyrightexceptions.htm

 

Responses to the consultation are due on 8th April and it is therefore vital that as many owners of cultural heritage collections as possible individually respond to the current consultation. 

 

MDA will be responding to the consultation in detail. However, MDA is also urging its members and other owners of collections to download and complete its template letter from the Collections Link website and send it back by post, fax or email to the Gowers Copyright Consultation:

www.collectionslink.org.uk/news/003887.html

 

A response from as many collection owners as possible will support MDA's detailed submission to the consultation. It will help us to stress the importance of reassessing the provisions afforded to museums and other collection owners to permit us to care for our Nation’s cultural heritage for future generations, without incurring risks of copyright infringement or placing undue pressures on stretched resources in clearing rights.

 

Please remember that responses need to be sent by 8th April 2008.

 

Please circulate this email to other colleagues and collections.

 

With many thanks for your consideration.

 

Kind regards,

 

Naomi Korn

MDA IP Officer

 

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Eleanor Lovegrove

Marketing Officer

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Tel: 01223 316028

Fax: 01223 364658

 

www.collectionslink.org.uk

www.mda.org.uk

 

MDA (Europe) Ltd: Company Registration No: 1300565

Registered Office: 22 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1JP

 

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Current Awareness Service

Inclusion of third party information in the Museums Current Awareness Service does not constitute an endorsement by CyMAL. CyMAL takes no responsibility for the quality of third party events, products or services featured in this Newsletter.  Whilst every care is taken to provide accurate information, neither CyMAL nor the editor undertakes any liability for any error or omission.

Carol Whittaker AMA
Cynghorydd Datblygu Amgueddfeydd / Museums Development Adviser
CyMAL: Amgueddfeydd Archifau a Llyfrgelloedd Cymru / CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales
Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru / Welsh Assembly Government
01970 610 238
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