Copyright pushes and pulls
April 2nd, 2008 by NaomiI’ve been in full flow before the responses to the Gowers Copyright Consultation are due in (8th April and counting) and in recent days I have been working with various clients to help them get their submissions in on time, as well as working with various smaller organisations across the public sector to bring the consulatation to their attention and try and galvanise a last push for broader exceptions for the public sector. I am mindful that we are not going to necessary win this time round (because it really does feel a bit like we have gone into *battle* mode particularly over the last few days), but instead, and perhaps differently than before, we are really beginning to stake our very important mark on the landscape that is the Knowledge Economy. It becomes a lot more than just closing our eyes “and hoping for the best” (as an old boss of mine liked to say), but instead this time, one of real positioning, setting the agenda and making sure that collectively, we raise our voices. Exciting times ahead and I am just blown away by the support of all the smaller organisations across the public sector, how much they want to be involved, but also how much better informed now they are than they were a few years ago. What is shocking, and I am always reminded by this (as I was at a recent training course that I ran last week in Worcester) is the totally unacceptable level of risk that these organisations have to face to in order to act in the public interest. This has to change.
So, what happens if the next stage of the consultation does not offer enough redress to the various organisations across the public sector…we keep on pushing, making our case, and raising awareness (and our collective voices). The pull is that if we want to maximise the impact and contribution to society, education and culture of our research institutions, places of learning, centres of excellence and cultural heritage organisations - copyright cannot continue to be (or be viewed as) an obstacle, a risk or a drain on resources. It must instead be logical, understandable and fair. This will create a wonderful cycle of respect - the more we can make sense of copyright and the fair dealing exceptions in particular, the more it makes sense. Wham bam, we have moved a step closer to resolving the secondary consequence of out-of-touch laws, that of a whole generation of those who believe that copyright is intrinsically wrong.
