Museums, Digitization and Copyright Law - Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to map some of the central copyright issues that museums confront through their involvement in digital cultural retrieval initiatives. Parts II and III discuss the interface of museums, digitization, and copyright law through two different - and to some extent conflicting - prisms: museums as users of copyrighted materials and museums as owners of copyrighted materials. Part IV summarizes the conclusions of my discussion in previous parts while presenting some proposals for new directions in shaping the law of digital cultural preservation.