The public domain is the realm of material—ideas, images, sounds, discoveries, facts, texts—that is unprotected by intellectual property rights and free for all to use or build upon. Our economy, culture and technology depend on a delicate balance between that which is, and is not, protected by exclusive intellectual property rights. Both the incentives provided by intellectual property and the freedom provided by the public domain are crucial to the balance. But most contemporary attention has gone to the realm of the protected.
Code of best practice that helps creators, online providers, copyright holders, and others interested in the making of online video interpret the copyright doctrine of fair use.
Copyright for Librarians is a joint project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL), a consortium of libraries from 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. The goal of the project is to provide librarians in developing and transitional countries information concerning copyright law.
Microsoft website aimed at teaching kids about intellectual property in the hopes of discouraging future generations from illegally downloading and using copyrighted music, movies, and images.
If this is unstoppable, then whatever the timescale the alarm bell has to ring and businesses (not just publishers — including universities) have to accept that change is inevitable and plan quite carefully to deal with it.
Founded in 2004 we're a not-for-profit organization promoting open knowledge: that's any kind of information – sonnets to statistics, genes to geodata – that can be freely used, reused, and redistributed.
A feature of UK copyright law is that ripping songs from a CD isn't allowed. That could change soon as Lord Triesman, Minister for Intellectual Property, announced a consultation on IP reform that could make format shifting a legal right.