Contents:
- Part 1: Introduction
- Part 2: Country Report for Australia
- Part 3: Country Report for the Netherlands
- Part 4: Country Report for the United Kingdom
- Part 5: Country Report for the United States
- Part 6: Summary Findings and Joint Recommendations
- Appendix A: Selected Provisions of International Treaties and Laws Relevant to Digital Preservation
- Appendix B: Selected Provisions of Australian Law
- Appendix C: Selected Provisions of Dutch Law
- Appendix D: Selected Provisions of U.K. Law
- Appendix E: Selected Provisions of U.S. Law.
This study provides an overview of the copyright and related laws of Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States and the impact of those laws on digital preservation of copyrighted works. Each country describes major digital preservation activities currently ongoing; the copyright and related rights laws that bear on preservation, and relevant exceptions and limitations; areas where there is tension between the laws and digital preservation activities; current efforts to undertake digital preservation within existing law, either through exceptions and limitations or pursuant to agreements with right holders; and recommendations for change. It ends with a summary of the report’s major findings and a series of joint recommendations agreed to by all of the organizations that participated in the study and preparation of the report.
This report is interesting for digital preservation policy makers as well as those concerned with copyright law. It is also interesting for those seeking a good survey of the current problem, as it is clearly written, has a clean layout and describes in a straightforward way, a very complicated subject. The appendices are especially helpful with their references within national copyright legislation and international treaties specific to digital preservation. It is not specific to audiovisual materials.