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Copyright - what is the future for education and research?

06 May 2009

British Library debate signifies a Golden Opportunity to create a vibrant research environment which fully utilises technological developments for education and research.

LONDON 5 May 2009 - leading figures in UK education and research today met at the British Library to explore the tensions and opportunities surrounding the role of copyright law in an increasingly digital knowledge economy.

David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and IP, joined a distinguished panel drawn from the fields of publishing, libraries and higher education, which provided a range of perspectives on how copyright might best support innovation, education and research in the online environment.

The debate was chaired by the Chief Executive of the British Library, Dame Lynne Brindley. Alongside the Minister, speakers included Dr Annette Davidson of the University of Edinburgh, speaking about access to content for academics and researchers; Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive of HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England); Stephen Crowne, Chief Executive of BECTA, and Kate Harris, Divisional MD of Oxford University Press, offering the publishing perspective.

At this morning's debate, Chief Executive of the British Library Dame Lynne Brindley launched the Library's campaign to ensure that copyright issues of importance to the research and education sector are included in the ongoing public debate on copyright and are reflected in any subsequent legislation, rules or regulations resulting from recent Government initiatives. These suggestions include:

  1. Public Interest - Many contracts undermine the public interest exceptions in copyright law agreed by Parliament to foster education, learning and creativity. Addressing this issue is crucial so that existing and new exceptions are not over-ridden by contract law.
  2. Preserving our cultural heritage - Libraries must be able to make preservation of copies of the material they acquire, including web harvesting of the UK domain.
  3. Orphan works - 40% of the British Library's collections are Orphan Works (where the rightsholder can no longer be found or traced). A legislative solution to Orphan Works would help provide access to the UK's large historical collections over the internet.
  4. Fair Dealing - Researchers and libraries need to be able to make available "fair dealing copies" of anything in their collections, including sound and film recordings that Fair Dealing does not currently relate to.
  5. Technology Neutral - Computer based research techniques, such as scientific research, needs to be allowed by future copyright law, in the same way that in the analogue world research activity is protected through "fair dealing".

Dame Lynne said, "Copyright is at the heart of our successful knowledge economy. In the 21st Century, access to technology, information and knowledge are the key to economic success and are governed by our current copyright laws.  Copyright has successfully maintained a balance in the public interest for creators and researchers for 300 years.  Yet copyright is under threat in the digital age."

Dame Lynne added: "There is a supreme irony that just as technology is allowing greater access to books and other creative works than ever before for education and research, new restrictions threaten to lock away digital content in a way we would never countenance for printed material. Let's not wake up in five years" time and realise we have unwittingly lost a fundamental building block for innovation, education and research in the UK."

This event was the latest in a series of discussions and debates facilitated by the British Library, which has taken a leading role in facilitating a wide-ranging and balanced public debate on how IP (intellectual property) regulation can best serve the public interest in the digital age.

For further information please contact Miki Lentin, British Library Press Office: miki.lentin@bl.uk T: +44 (0)20 7412 7112

Notes for Editors:

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The British Library's collections include 150 million items from every era of written human history beginning with Chinese oracle bones dating from 300 BC, right up to the latest e-journals.

The British Library's Principles on Copyright Law - The British Library believes that successful public policy formation in copyright should incorporate the following five principles:

  1. Public Interest - Public interest policy formation must consider the impact on the creator, the citizen, the economy, the education system and our culture - for today, and for future generations to come.
  2. Balance - Creativity, innovation and a democratic civil society requires copyright law to strike a balance between the private interest of the creator being recognised and remunerated for their work, and the interest of the citizen in ensuring access to information and ideas.
  3. Digital is Not Different - Copyright law should enshrine the principles of creativity, access, recognition and remuneration as it always has done. Exceptions should apply to all formats including digital formats.
  4. Law Aligned with Realities - Rationalisation and simplification of the law will lead to understanding and respect for copyright.
  5. Technology Neutral - Copyright law must be informed by technological advances, but specific technologies should not be enshrined in law.

For more information see: www.bl.uk/ip