Meeting of the Copyright Working Group at CENL London

Yesterday, The British Library hosted a meeting of the Copyright Working Group at CENL (Conference of European National Libraries). CENL is a network of 48 national libraries from 45 European states. The National University Library (NUK), represented by dr. Maja Bogataj Jančič for many years now, is actively engaged in this working group.

The Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market is one of the important issues being discussed at the meeting. Dr. Maja Bogataj Jančič has presented the issue of the exception for education regulated in Article 5. This exception will enable the free use of copyright works in digital form for the purpose of educational illustration. Apart from this, provisions on text and data mining (Articles 3 and 4) as well as exception for the protection of cultural heritage (Articles 6 and 8 to 12), applicable to cultural heritage institutions, are also of crucial importance for national libraries. The text and data mining exception will provide the legal basis for the mining of large amounts of tests, other content and data that can be useful for study and research. Because of the cultural heritage exception, on the other hand, the libraries will be able through processes of digitalization of copyright works, make those works available online and enable the general public to access the works from their archives.