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Study Group Convenes to Discuss Exceptions to Copyright Law
The Section 108 Study Group held its inaugural meeting at the Library of Congress on April 14-15. The goal of the group, named after the section of the U.S. Copyright Act that provides limited exceptions for libraries and archives, is to prepare findings and make recommendations to the Librarian of Congress by mid-2006 for possible alterations to the law that reflect current technologies. The U.S. Copyright Office will then hold public hearings before submitting recommendations to the U.S. Congress. This effort will seek to strike the appropriate balance between copyright holders and libraries and archives in a manner that best serves the public interest.
Digital technologies are radically transforming how copyrighted works are created and disseminated, and also how libraries and archives preserve and make those works available. Cultural heritage institutions, in carrying forward their missions, have begun to acquire and incorporate large quantities of “born digital” works (those created in digital form) into their holdings to ensure the continuing availability of those works to future generations. Yet it has been observed that Section 108 of the Copyright Act – which provides limited exemptions for libraries and archives – does not adequately address many of the issues unique to digital media, either from the perspective of rights owners or libraries and archives.
During the initial meeting, the Study Group members drafted a mission statement (see below) and discussed which issues to address and how to organize their work. The group plans on convening for 1½ days every other month; the next meeting will be held June 9 in New York City. Read more at loc.gov
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