Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World

Thanks to digitisation and the Internet, preservation of and access to our cultural heritage - which consists of works protected by copyright and works in the public domain - have never been easier. This essential book examines the twin issues of the preservation of, and access to, cultural heritage and the problems copyright law creates and the solutions it can at the same time provide. The expert contributors explore the extent to which current copyright laws from Europe and beyond prevent or help the constitution of a centralized online repository of our cultural heritage. Provided legal reform is achieved and the additional financial and organisational hurdles are overcome, this work argues that it should be possible to fulfill the dream of an online Alexandrian library.

Copyright and Cultural Heritage will appeal strongly to both academics and practitioners of intellectual property as well as to policymakers - as it proposes modifications to copyright law in the UK and beyond. This book will also provoke thought amongst associated and interested parties from industry and those using, managing or distributing content.