Orphan works bill could open library collections to the Web

GCN Content/Record Management topic index GCN Web Strategies topic index The Senate last week passed a bill that would make it easier for universities, archives and libraries, including the Library of Congress, to digitize and make available online collections that contain “orphan works.” These orphans are works that are protected by copyright law, but whose copyright owners cannot be identified or found. Millions of orphan works held in collections are in danger of slipping into obscurity because, without permission from the copyright holder, they cannot be used without legal risk. S. 2913, the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008, would ensure that owners of such works receive fair compensation for their use, but would limit the financial risk of users who make a good-faith effort to find those owners. The Copyright... [read full story]