This June, copyright changes for the better! LOOOONG-awaited changes to copyright exceptions are bringing complex and outdated legislation into line with the needs of modern teaching and research. These changes will treat those using “non-text” materials more fairly, make preservation copying easier, and enable copying into accessible formats to support people with disabilities. The rights of copyright holders will still be protected and it can be argued that making copyright law more sensible keeps it relevant and more likely to be respected.
Here are two excellent summaries of the changes:
Breakthrough in copyright law reform confirmed. Guest blog on CILIP’s website by Naomi Korn, Chair of the Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance and Benjamin White, Head of Intellectual Property at the British Library.
ARA shares briefing on copyright exceptions and limitations. Tim Padfield, copyright advisor to the Archives and Records Association, updates the sector.
And the image? It’s from Charles W. Bailey’s flickr stream, licensed under CC-BY-NC-2.0. I chose this particular creative commons image of the Houses of Parliament because it is a public domain photo which the artist has tweaked using various Topaz plug-ins to create a “digital impasto”, creating something unique and unusual from something created by another. Opening up copyright opens up possibilities!
The Special Collections Handbook 