Copyright law and the digital library – compatible?

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By Paul Biba

Here’s an interesting article at E-Research Library, by Cynthia Gillespie. This is a short excerpt:

In order for an all-digital library to truly exist, research materials will have to be shared in an open access or creative commons environment. Academics have largely adapted to open access publishing for their research: they expect to receive research for free, although they are willing to buy their own copy for future reference. “It [published academic research] is given away to publishers, (and thereby colleagues and the general public) for peer recognition and as a contribution to the advancement of knowledge for the public good. It is perhaps because academics-as-authors give their works away freely, that they expect to do the same with others’ works as users.” …

Given the current climate of filing multi-million dollar lawsuits against college students for sharing music, it may seem that an open access environment is an impossible dream. However, evidence suggests that the larger product markets are changing. It is possible to make money from copyrights in conjunction with allowing free access to creative works. …

Copyright, licensing, and digital rights management are critical issues for an all-digital library. In the current environment, it appears that copyright law and digital rights management software combined would not allow such a library to be developed. However, as open access publishing and licensing concepts seep from the academic and street environments into the business and legal world, the availability of complete open access may simply be a matter of time.

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