Press Release: Copyright: Commission brokers agreement to increase the number of out-of-commerce books being made available again

The European Commission presided over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the 20 September 2011 in which libraries, publishers, authors in Europe, and their collecting societies have agreed to a set of Key Principles that will give European libraries and similar cultural institutions the possibility to digitise and make available on line out-of-commerce books and learned journals which are part of their collections.

The Key Principles contained in the MoU will encourage and underpin voluntary licensing agreements while fully respecting copyright and recognising that right holders should always have the first option to digitise and make available an out-of-commerce work. The MoU is an essential part of the efforts of stakeholders and of the Commission to address the needs of mass digitisation by European cultural institutions

EurActiv, 21.9.11: Commission brokers agreement for mass digitisation http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/commission-brokers-agreement-mas-news-507822

European Commission: Memo/11/619: Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Key Principles on the Digitisation and Making Available of Out-of-Commerce Works – Frequently Asked Questions http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/11/619&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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