eIFL Handbook on Copyright and Related Issues for Libraries

The eIFL Handbook on Copyright and Related Issues for Libraries has recently been launched. Sponsored by the UNESCO Information for All Programme, this is a practical guide to topical legal questions affecting the information work of libraries in the fast moving digital environment. Each topic is described briefly, the main policy aspects for libraries are outlined, and there are links to library policy statements for further reading.

The topics are the Relationship between Copyright and Contract Law: Electronic Resources and Library Consortia; Technological Protection Measures - the "triple lock"; Copyright, the Duration of Protection and the Public Domain; Orphaned works; Collective Rights Management; Public lending right; the Database Right - Europe's Experiment; Creative Commons: an "open content" licence; Open Access to Scholarly Communications; Copyright and Trade Agreements; International Policy Making: a Development Agenda for WIPO; National Policy Making: Advocating for Fair Copyright Laws.

We encourage re-use and translation. The complete Handbook, as well as the individual topics, are available for download on the eIFL website at eIFL-IP Issues and Campaigns. Hard copies are available on request from the Program Manager <teresa.hackett[at]eifl.net>.