Orphan works (fwd)

[Liblicense-L Listowner <liblicen@pantheon.yale.edu>]

Of possible interest:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
To: "NHA Member Representatives" <NHA-NEWS@cni.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 13:56:48 -0500

10 February 2005

FR: Jessica Jones Irons
RE: Call for Comments on Orphan Works, US Copyright Office

The US Copyright Office has published a notice in the Federal Register
asking for public comments on whether a solution is needed to deal with
"orphan works" - works for which the copyright owner cannot be located.  
The call for comments is a likely precursor to significant regulatory or
legislative action.

The Copyright Office said in its notice that: "The public interest may be
harmed when works cannot be made available to the public due to
uncertainty over its copyright ownership and status, even when there is no
longer any living person or legal entity claiming ownership of the
copyright or the owner no longer has any objection to such use."  The
Office noted that the high cost of pursuing orphan works means that
scholars and small publishers don't use the works, "even where there is no
one who would object to the use."

This notice was forwarded to NHA by the Association of Research Libraries.  
ARL is holding a brown bag lunch on February 15 for organizations
interested in submitting comments. For more information please contact
Prue Adler, Associate Executive Director (ARL), 202.296.2296,
prue@arl.org.

The full notice is at: http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2005/70fr3739.html. 
Comment deadline is March 25.  Reply comments are due May 9.
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