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Copyright and digital cultural heritage

Copyright raises relevant questions for those who work with or otherwise use digital cultural heritage: how do you legally share collections online and support their reuse? How can you deal with legal risk? How are legal and policy changes shaping this area? 

The Europeana Initiative offers free, up-to-date and expert guidance, resources, standards, webinars and an active community for all professionals who work with copyright in the cultural heritage sector. Explore these below.  

Training

Learn and test your knowledge on copyright and the use of rights statements.

Tools and knowledge

Access resources and documentation on topics which support cultural heritage professionals to build understanding of copyright in relation to digital cultural heritage.

FAQs on Out of Commerce works
Title:
Helsingin rautatieasema, perspektiivipiirustus keskushallista
Creator:
Saarinen, Eliel
Date:
1913
Institution:
Museum of Finnish Architecture
Country:
Finland

FAQs on Out of Commerce works

Discover information about out of commerce works. 

Recommendations on copyright and its role in the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector
Title:
Exterieur van de bibliotheek van de Humboldtuniversiteit te Berlijn
Date:
c.1890 - c.1910
Institution:
Rijksmuseum
Country:
Netherlands

Recommendations on copyright and its role in the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector

During the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Europeana held a conference to explore the copyright challenges the cultural heritage sector faces as it embraces its digital transformation. Read the report.

Standards for rights information

We support the use of Creative Commons Licences and Tools, and through the Rights Statements Consortium, we offer additional tools to standardise the way you communicate rights information about online collections.

Open access

We advocate for open access through our policies and frameworks, and encourage you to open your collections up for reuse. Learn about the benefits of removing barriers to reuse and explore the experiences of other institutions.

Copyright Directive

Gain an understanding of recent and upcoming legal and policy changes in the European Union and your country.

Network and communities

Join our vibrant Copyright Communityto engage, collaborate and transfer knowledge with peers and experts working on copyright and digital cultural heritage.

Events

Register for upcoming events which support cultural heritage professionals to gain new skills and knowledge.

Webinars

Learn from various useful and successful approaches to clearing rights and to managing copyright in a cultural heritage institution.

News

Keep up to date with policy and practice around copyright and digital cultural heritage.

More out of commerce works available - but a long road ahead
Title:
Landschaft mit Eichen
Creator:
Martin von Molitor (Künstler_in)
Date:
1811
Institution:
Albertina
Country:
Austria

More out of commerce works available - but a long road ahead

Created: 18 March 2024

The out of commerce works ‘legal solution’ removes the obligation for cultural heritage institutions to ‘clear copyright’, item by item, in materials that are not in commercial circulation. The positive results of such a system are starting to be visible but some challenges remain for it to be truly successful. Find out more about the state of play.

Article 14 and the public domain - the state of play across Europe
Title:
Cykelloppet Herrhagen runt 1942. Gjuteribacken uppför.
Creator:
Dan Gunner
Institution:
Värmlands museum
Country:
Sweden

Article 14 and the public domain - the state of play across Europe

Created: 1 February 2024

Article 14 of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive improves protection for works in the public domain, supporting our right to access our shared cultural heritage. But how is it being implemented across Europe? The Europeana Copyright Community’s dedicated Task Force on the topic shares their research.

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