IPR and licensing are central to the creation, sharing and delivery of e-content. The aim of the SCA IPR Consultancy is to address the potential obstacles IPR and licensing issues present, as well as encouraging best practices to meet these challenges going forward. The key objective is to create an environment in which content can be shared by establishing best practice, standards and a set of resources and policies which can be adopted by sponsors of the SCA and their constituent members. The work suggested by the IPR Consultants has been outlined within seven work packages over the course of the lifespan of the SCA.
Naomi Korn, one of the SCA IP consultants, led a group of interested parties at the Shaping the Future forum at the British Library on 19 February to discuss:
- What do you think are some of major IP obstacles restricting the creation, sharing and delivery of e-content?
- Beyond areas outlined in the SCA work plan, what additional areas might the IPR Consultants address?
- Where can we collaborate most effectively to address the challenges that IP presents to the free flow of content?
Read on for the summing-up of the discussion.
1. Declaration
Would be useful to place the declaration drafted today in the correct level so it relates to declarations that are already up there or more practical ones like the British Library principles
2. Terminology toolkit/ legal policy
Creating a terminology toolkit – variety of terms across contexts – how to harmonise that – not just practical but also relates to particular legal documents and policies – how is it consistent?
3. Easy tools to disseminate/ branding
Issue of how to create tool for disseminating content produced from SCA, the results of the research and also about branding and how the style of different types of content can move across contexts
4. Reception and understanding of copyright/ realistic options to understanding the benefits
Can we change the image of copyright and provide realistic options for benefits? The cultural perception that IP is a problem is a bigger problem than the issues that IP pose in themselves
5. Nature of users/ creators
We need to understand the nature of users and creators and the implications that has for the SCA’s work
6. Understanding difference between sectors
7. Open technologies for content/ data dumps/ transparent copies
This means that they are not platform specific – not just available legally but technically available
8. Toolkit for managing rights
a. registry - it’s not necessary to have a complex technical solution as the outcome but could be very simple such as a spreadsheet or flow chart
b. standards
c. due diligence – need to pose these questions in a very easy way (layman’s English) so that people manage IPRs in a more responsible way
d. risk management – simple guide people could use to be sure that following a set procedure – fits with risk management approach and how to be realistic about implications – there is a lot of fear-mongering regarding what constitutes risk. If you are risk averse then forget about open access
e. FAQs
f. top down-bottom up approaches – more bottom up approaches and how examples may be used and shared between different sectors so people can relate with specific examples in their sector
g. examples database/ bank – good to give guidelines and definitions but when you are dealing with a variety of content; what we be really valuable would be to have a bank of examples
9. Recommendations for funders
when grants are being given, then there should be a coherent grant/ funding policies around formats/ orphan works/ precluding the development of orphan works – how to push funders to have specific standards and recommendations on how thir matial could be used – related is the issue of orphan works – have to be careful not to create more orphan works so need to encourage people to take ownership
10. SCA results used in other contexts
could be transferred eg to other European countries
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