Fred Saunderson
Rights and Information Manager , National Library of Scotland
The Europeana Copyright Community is one of the Europeana Network Association's specialist communities. Explore their work plan for 2023.
The aspirations of the Copyright Community are to aid practitioners in the cultural heritage sector to navigate copyright in their collections, to help them advocate for adequate institutional support around copyright, and to provide guidance around how to contribute to adequate legal frameworks in their countries.
Read and download the full Copyright Community work plan below. If you are not already a member, you can also join the Europeana Copyright Community through the Europeana Network Association.
As of January 2023, the composition of the Copyright Community Steering Group is composed of seven members, the chair and a community manager:
Ana Lazarova (IP lawyer, Digital Republic Association)
Andrea Wallace (Lecturer in Law, University of Exeter)
Annabelle Shaw (Copyright & Rights Systems Manager, British Film Institute)
Ariadna Matas (Policy Advisor, Europeana Foundation), Community Manager
Bartolomeo Meletti (Education and Research Executive, Learning on Screen)
Deborah De Angelis (Chapter Lead, Creative Commons Italian Chapter)
Ellen Van Keer (Expert, Meemoo)
Fred Saunderson (Rights and Information Manager, National Library of Scotland), Chair
Hande Ozkayagan (Legal Coordinator, Darts-IP)
Marina Markellou (Ethics Advisor National Centre Scientific Research Demokritos)
The aspirations of the Copyright Community are to aid practitioners in the cultural heritage sector to navigate copyright in their collections, to help them advocate for adequate institutional support around copyright, and to provide guidance around how to contribute to adequate legal frameworks in their countries.
The Steering Group will lead the effort to conduct the activities listed below. Copyright Community members will be invited to actively participate. The Copyright Community and its Steering Group will also be called upon by Europeana Foundation to contribute their views to copyright policy questions.
1. Identify the terminology we use when we talk about the different aspects of ‘open’
Continued work, began in 2022, to understand the various terms used in this space, their overlap and differences, and the contexts in which they might be most suitable to be used by the Europeana copyright community. Develop this work with a focus on artistic works, aided by the new Article 14 Working Group.
2. Support the use of the out of commerce works provisions in the CDSM Directive
Continue the work of the Out of Commerce Works Working Group.
3. Copyright office hours and Policy office hours
Continue setting up the copyright and policy office hours to have a space where community members can engage and discuss shared questions. Each session will be focused on a specific topic.
4. Promote and help to develop the Europeana Licensing Framework (ELF)
Encourage use of the ELF through awareness raising and training resources. Support the development of updates to the ELF toward a data governance mechanism.
5. Develop resources to support copyright management
Maintain a tools page where professionals in the sector can find copyright support. Help to develop a ‘contract bank’ of copyright-related documents for the Copyright Cortex.
Continue to promote and update the copyright management guidelines for practitioners. Explore areas for further development, for example,rights clearance, identify its cost, and harmonise practices across Europe. Create links with the copyright tools page, as well as with the Copyright Cortex and CopyrightUser.eu, and partner with research centres and projects such as ReCreating Europe and inDICEs.
6. Support the protection of the public domain
Develop and instigate a new Article 14 Working Group to develop resources, guidance, and best practice around Article 14 of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive (CDSM), which relates to the protection of the public domain for digitised artistic works.
The Copyright Community work plan for 2023 contributes to the strategic priorities of the Europeana Network Association in a number of ways:
Supporting capacity building and digital transformation in cultural heritage institutions, by developing and promoting resources that build the capacity of cultural heritage professionals, from copyright training, to tools and resources, or guidelines.
Harnessing the potential of (individual) ENA members, by facilitating regular policy and copyright office hours through which members of the copyright community meet and can support each other by discussing common challenges and sharing solutions that have worked for some of them. The creation of an 'Article 14' working group alongside the currently existing 'out of commerce works working group' also facilitates a platform for discussion, exchange of knowledge and collaboration.
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), by opening up a conversation about the notion and various definitions for 'openess' and 'reuse' and how it interacts with other important values and principles.
Collaboration with Europeana Foundation, Europeana Aggregators’ Forum and wider networks, by contributing to the development of a data governance mechanism that brings in the stakes of various groups and individuals.
We will communicate and raise awareness of products, events and important developments through the Europeana Initiative’s communication channels. Where relevant, we will invite members of the copyright community and other guests to write posts to be published onEuropeana Pro on relevant topics for the sector. Where possible, we will develop our products and services in collaboration with other Europeana communities and relevant partners and projects working on the same areas.
EUR 4 000 to be assigned to the research, production and design of materials to support the activities described in the work plan.
