This includes the right for libraries to lend out works in digital formats under the same conditions as works in physical form. Controlled digital lending should be fully permitted at the EU level. In addition, libraries should be able to acquire works in digital form in a format that would leave libraries in control of the technical environment enabling digital lending.
Last week, COMMUNIA submitted its response (PDF file) to the open consultation on the Digital Fairness Act. While many of the issues addressed in the proposed Act extend beyond our core mandate, we wish to highlight a critical yet overlooked consumer rights concern: the fairness of licensing practices for digital creative works, such as e-books […]
In August 2025, the Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato) published a preliminary report of the findings of the IC57 – Scholastic Publishing Fact-Finding Investigation. Today, COMMUNIA made a submission in response to the preliminary report (available as a PDF file). COMMUNIA welcomes the the preliminary report, as it overlaps with […]
On 24 September, COMMUNIA hosted the third Salon of 2025 on the right to e-lend. The event brought together experts to examine the legal obstacles standing in the way of digital lending and discuss policy solutions for empowering libraries in the digital environment. A video recording of the event is now available through Vimeo. […]
Libraries are essential gateways to knowledge and culture. Yet in today’s digital world, they face significant barriers. To shine a light on these challenges, and explore solutions, we invite you to join us on Wednesday 24 September, 15:00-16:00 CEST for an online event where we will examine the legal obstacles standing in the way of digital […]
A Polish version of our brochure A Digital Knowledge Act for Europe is now available (as a PDF file). In this publication, we provide an overview of the barriers that prevent libraries, archives, universities and other knowledge institutions from carrying out their public interest mission in the digital environment and present solutions. Like the English […]
This is the Polish version of our brochure A Digital Knowledge Act for Europe. In this publication, we lay out our ideas for a Digital Knowledge Act – a targeted legislative intervention that enables libraries, archives, universities and other knowledge institutions to offer the same services online as offline. The translation was done by COMMUNIA […]
A French version of our brochure A Digital Knowledge Act for Europe is now available (as a PDF file). In this publication, we provide an overview of the barriers that prevent libraries, archives, universities and other knowledge institutions from carrying out their public interest mission in the digital environment and present solutions. Like the English […]
This is the French version of our brochure A Digital Knowledge Act for Europe. In this publication, we lay out our ideas for a Digital Knowledge Act – a targeted legislative intervention that enables libraries, archives, universities and other knowledge institutions to offer the same services online as offline. The translation was done by COMMUNIA […]
On May 12, COMMUNIA hosted an online Salon on the unfair practices that have become commonplace in licensing negotiations between rightholders and libraries in the public and academic sectors. The video recording is now available through Vimeo. To kick things off, COMMUNIA Legal Director Teresa Nobre presented our latest report, Unfair licensing practices: the library […]
This week, we released a new report detailing unfair practices in the licensing of digital resources to libraries (as a PDF file). This report describes contractual practices identified by licensing managers from public and academic libraries across Europe during a meeting organised by COMMUNIA under the Chatham House Rule. The report also contains clauses from […]
