Right to preserve? Copyright and licensing for digital preservation project: final report

The Copyright and Licensing for Digital Preservation Project ran from September 2002 to March 2004 and was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board. The aim of the research was to investigate whether and how copyright legislation and licensed access to digital content affect the ability of libraries to provide long-term access to that content, and to suggest ways in which any problems can be overcome. The project included a review of the library, legal and related literatures. Questionnaire surveys were then used to explore the views of libraries, publishers and authors. These were supplemented by twenty in-depth, face-to-face interviews with librarians, publishers, legal experts, digital preservation experts and representatives of rights holder organisations. An invitation-only seminar was held, at which delegates discussed possible solutions to the issues identified.