LIBER Copyright Working Group Workshop: Copyright Exceptions for Libraries – A Global Outlook as a Context for European Copyright Reform

In June 2016 the European Commission will present its proposals for copyright reform within the scope of the Digital Single Market initiative. The expected outcome is a focus on access to knowledge, and exception rules to the benefit of the libraries of Europe is long awaited.

Copyright issues in a library context include preservation and replacement, text and data mining (TDM), copies for research and study, cross-border access and inter-library loans, e-lending, ‘making available’ on dedicated terminals, mass digitisation, orphan works, and serving the needs of persons with disabilities.

As a backdrop to the proposals, Professor Kenneth Crews, Columbia University, USA, author of WIPO’s 2015 ‘Study on Copyright Exceptions for Libraries and Museums’, will set out the connection between libraries and copyright, and offer an overview on copyright exceptions in national legislations globally, as well as a fair use/fair dealing perspective.

The second half of the workshop will be an interactive session where the audience will scrutinise the present proposals for European copyright reform and put them in the context of their daily library activity.