The British Library, the national library of the UK, in its evidence to the Intellectual Property Office’s Copyright Consultation which closed on March 21, 2012, has said that changes to the copyright system would benefit UK innovation. Its submission is seen to make the case for reforms that will deliver tangible benefits for the cultural, education and research sectors.
According to Dame Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, the Government is right to say that the UK’s copyright framework needs fundamental reform if it is to support growth. The Library welcomes all ways to enable mass scale digitisation and to support the preservation of its collections. The common sense approach to dealing with orphan works and extended collective licensing are especially welcome, as are the provisions to allow sound and film to be copied for research purposes, and the proposals for text and data mining.
The system must continue to respect the rights and rewards of rightsholders, it has pointed out. However, these proposals would make the copyright framework fit for purpose in the digital age – unleashing the potential of UK research today and in the future. The British Library has urged the Government to take forward these proposals without delay.
