NMDC welcomes copyright proposals 17 Jan 2013

On 20th December 2012, the Intellectual Property Office published proposals for changes to copyright laws which will directly affect museums and galleries, and could help museums ensure better public access to parts of their collections. The proposals will require legislation.

 The four areas which will affect the work of museums are:

• A new exception for museums for preservation and archival copying of works in their permanent collections which cannot be easily replaced (this is format-shifting for preservation);
• Extending the current copying for non-commercial research or private study to sounds recordings, broadcasts and films;
• A new exception for museums to make electronic copies of works in their collection on dedicated terminals on their premises; and
• A new exception for parody, caricature and pastiche (thus providing a safe guard for museums who own or display artistic works which themselves parody other works).

The press release is available here: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/press-release-20121220

The response document is available here: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/hargreaves/hargreaves-copyright.htm

In their response to the 2012 Consultation on Copyright, NMDC provided evidence to support format shifting for preservation, extending current copying for non-commercial research or private study to sound recordings, broadcast and films, and making electronic copies of works available on dedicated terminals on museum premises. That document can be read here and further information on NMDC's work on copyright and intellectual property can be found here.