Controversial Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology bill moves forward - June 17, 2014
On May 28, 2014, the US House of Representatives Science, Space, and Technology Committee passed the Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) Act of 2014, H.R. 4186. The bill seeks to reauthorise sections of the America COMPETES Act relating to the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of… Read More
EU rejects international solution to library and archive copyright problems - May 7, 2014
Discussions by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright & Related Rights (SCCR) broke down in the early hours of May 3, after the European Union (EU) attempted to block future discussion of copyright laws to aid libraries and archives fulfil their missions… Read More
ARL, SPARC and other organisations oppose FIRST Act - April 21, 2014
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL), SPARC, and 14 other organisations have sent a letter to Chairman Smith (R-TX) and Representative Johnson (D-TX) urging them to modify the Frontiers in Innovation Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) Act of 2014 (H.R. 4186), which… Read More
British Library welcomes new exceptions to copyright - March 31, 2014
The Intellectual Property Office has issued five draft statutory instruments on exceptions to copyright, following the Government's 2010 review of intellectual property law, Digital Opportunity. The British Library welcomes the new exceptions, which will bring significant benefits for library users across the UK, and will… Read More
Canada’s Competition Bureau signs consent agreements with four publishers regarding e-book pricing policies - February 10, 2014
Canada's Competition Bureau has reportedly reached consent agreements with four multinational publishers regarding their e-book pricing policies. The agreements resolve the Bureau's concerns that the four companies - Hachette Book Group Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada, HarperCollins Canada and Macmillan Canada -… Read More
FCC grants one-year waiver of e-reader accessibility requirement - February 10, 2014
On January 28, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a one-year waiver exempting e-readers from the requirement that equipment used for advanced communication services (ACS) be accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The FCC granted the waiver in response to a petition filed by… Read More
