Kick-off for EU database of public domain works and digital access to scientific works
With yesterday’s budget vote, the EU Parliament approved the funding of two pilot projects in the field of free knowledge initiated by the Pirate Party’s MEP Patrick Breyer in cooperation with civil society.
The first pilot project “Public EU directory of works in the public domain and under free licenses“, is funding a feasibility study for the creation of a database of public domain works. The development of such a database shall provide legal certainty for platforms, providers, galleries, libraries, archives and museums, as well as other non-profit organizations that work with public domain or freely licensed content.
The second project, “The Role of Copyright Laws in facilitation of distance education and research” intends to strengthen schools, universities and the cultural sector. The pilot project will assess copyright obstacles for online teaching and will focus on possible adaptions to the legal framework in order to enhance an appropriate balance of the interests of the authors and the use for educational and research purposes in the public interest. In addition, public access to culture and education shall be increased, in particular by granting licenses to libraries.
Patrick Breyer, Member of the European Parliament for the Pirate Party and digital freedom fighter, comments:
“The Pirate‘s fight for free knowledge has never been as important as during the pandemic, when schools and libraries often were closed. We finally need legal certainty. Business interests must no longer stand in the way of digital learning and research. The pilot projects I have proposed are an important first step in bringing the laws into line with the needs of our digital knowledge society.”
