PRESENTATION C18

THE PERMISSION BARRIER: THE IMPACT OF COPYRIGHT LAW ON DIGITAL PRESERVATION

Jessica Coates
Creative Commons Clinic, Queensland University of Technology, QLD

This paper presents the findings of the International Study on the Impact of Copyright Law on Digital Preservation (QUT, 2008), a joint project of the Open Access to Knowledge (OAK) Law project (Australia), the Library of Congress (US), the Joint Information Systems Committee (UK), and the SURFfoundation (Netherlands). Focusing on Australia's position in the broader international community and drawing on the outcomes of the World Intellectual Property Organisation's July 2008 workshop on the issue, it will look at how copyright law both enables and hinders the preservation of digital objects. It will discuss the steps being taken by public and private organisations internationally to address the barriers presented by copyright law, as well as recommendations for changes that need to be made at the national and international level to ensure the products of the digital age are not lost to future generations.