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Copyright and Permissions: Digital Environment

Welcome! This guide provides information and resources on copyright law in Lebanon and internationally. The guide emphasizes on how copyright law relates to academic activities such as research, teaching, and publishing.

International Law Reforms for the Digital Age

WIPO Study on Limitations and Exceptions of Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Environment (2003)

IFLA Position Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright and Neighbouring Rights in the Digital Environment: An International Library Perspective (2004)
Safeguarding the Memory of the World – UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Preservation of, Access to, Documentary Heritage in the Digital Era

EU Copyright in the Digital Single Market

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (2016)

IFLA Statement 2018

There are several articles in the Directive that will have a direct impact on libraries in Europe:

An exception on text and data mining for research organizations (read our full position paper and "Eight Reasons Why Europe Needs a Simple Exception for Text and Data Mining").
An exception for the use of works for the purpose of illustration for teaching (read our full position paper)
An exception for preservation (read our full position paper and "Five Reasons Why Cultural Heritage Institutions Need a Preservation and Internal Reproduction Exception").
Exception for out of commerce works (read our full position paper, the "Paradox of the Disappearing Book" and "Eight Reasons Why Effective EU Provisions on Out of Commerce Works Require an Exception")

‘User-Generated-Content and Copyright: The European Union Approach’
WIPO Academy, University of Turin and ITC-ILO - Master of Laws in IP - Research Papers Collection - 2015-2016

US Law and the Digital Environment

Fair Use in Digital Environments: The Work of the Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) 1996
Fair Use (CONFU) created three sets of guidelines covering digital images, distance learning, and multimedia development.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) 1998
It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM).

Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH) 2001

The TEACH Act is an expansion of the US Copyright Law that provides allowances for distance education programs. Its impacts include:

Allowing reasonable/limited portions of dramatic and audiovisual works to be posted for instruction;
Promoting direct links to e-resources, videos that include attribution, and streaming media;
Allowing scenes/portions of films to be uploaded for limited amount of time for instructional purposes.

Proposed Educational Guidelines on Fair Use
Stanford University Libraries

Fair use in the Digital Environment: a Research Guide (Fall 2006)