Institutions that fulfil their public interest missions in a responsible and prudent way, as well as individuals that act for non-commercial purposes, should not be required to pay damages for engaging with copyrighted materials if they acted in the reasonable belief that such uses are permitted. Europe needs to make it mandatory for Member States to protect users and institutions acting with non-commercial purposes from claims for damages for infringement of copyright and other exclusive rights when they act in the reasonable belief that their uses are permitted by law.
On October 2, COMMUNIA hosted an in-person event in Brussels on why Europe needs a Digital Knowledge Act. A video recording of the event is now available (hosted on Vimeo). The event brought together academics, representatives of civil society and EU policymakers to discuss legislative measures that would enable knowledge institutions, such as libraries, archives, […]
Europe is investing heavily in research and innovation, and for good reason. But we have failed to support these interests by clearing the way for the digital transition of libraries, archives, universities and other knowledge institutions that are essential to promoting progress. We need to prioritise reform that focuses on the needs of these institutions. […]
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. Our booklet is structured along four actions to empower knowledge institutions in the digital age: Protect the Public Domain! Unlock […]
Since the beginning of the year, we have fleshed out proposals for measures that should be included in 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. In a series of six policy papers, we identified the constraints […]
Join us on October 2nd, from 1500h to 1700h, for an in-person event on why Europe needs a Digital Knowledge Act at TownHall Europe, Brussels! What to expect The European Union is spending massively on research and innovation. Horizon Europe has a budget of €95.5 billion, up from a cool €80 billion for its predecessor program, […]
Today, COMMUNIA is releasing Policy Paper #18 on limitation of liability for knowledge institutions (also available as a PDF file), in which we propose to lay down at Union level that knowledge institutions shall be sheltered from liability so long as they act in a responsible and prudent way, having reasonable grounds to believe that they have acted […]
Background Individuals and organisations who frequently interact with copyright-protected material in a professional capacity are often overwhelmed when it comes to determining what they may or may not do. They may be forced to make complicated choices between potentially risking to infringe copyright or passing up on opportunities to create or preserve knowledge by not […]
On the 6th of March 2024, we were delighted to welcome a full house at our “Unlocking Knowledge Conference” at Town Hall Europe. At this event, we asked academics, civil society representatives and EU policymakers about the issues knowledge institutions and researchers still face when accessing and using copyrighted materials in their activities, particularly in […]
On 6th of March, from 1500h to 1700h, COMMUNIA will host the “Unlocking Knowledge Conference” at Town Hall Europe, which will bring together academics, representatives of civil society and EU policymakers to discuss how to enable knowledge institutions to play a bigger part in creating a flourishing information ecosystem. Knowledge institutions – educational, research, and […]
As we’re approaching the European election season, COMMUNIA is rolling out its proposals for the ‘24-’29 legislature. In an op-ed published on Euractiv, we ask the next Commission and Parliament to finally put the needs of Europe’s knowledge institutions, such as libraries, universities and schools, front and center. Over the next five years, we need […]
