Copyright and Fair Use Committee
This committee monitors information and developments related to sound recording copyright and fair use issues. Its findings are shared with the ARSC membership through the ARSC Journal, the ARSC Web site, and annual conference programs.
Internet
Sites on Copyright and Fair Use
Board
Resolution on Copyright and Fair Use
ARSC
Journal Fair Practices Column
(links to articles)
Recommendations
for
Changes in Copyright Law
Statement by the Chairman
ARSC's involvement in an amicus brief supporting the legal challenge to the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) before the Supreme Court (Edred v. Ashcroft) was an education for many of us. Not so much because of the way the case turned out (we lost), but as an education in copyright law, and an introduction to other organizations that have common cause with ARSC in ensuring that U.S. laws do not discourage preservation and access to historic materials.
I hope to make the Copyright and Fair Use Committee a clearing house for information on copyright as it affects sound recordings, both in the U.S. and in other countries. This will involve not only providing information on current laws, but also collecting examples of the practical effect of those laws, and supporting efforts to seek change where warranted. It is obvious that there is a great deal of misinformation out there, and even Washington lobbyists who were working on the challenge to the CTEA were unaware of the unusually broad scope of the law regarding recordings. ARSC can serve a valuable educational function on behalf of preservation and access to early recordings.
Everything starts with accurate information, so as a first step this web page provides links to relevant documents and sites. Suggestions for additional links are welcome. We also welcome specific examples of how copyright law has impacted your own activities in the field of sound recording preservation, access and reissue activity.
Tim Brooks, Chair
tim@timbrooks.net
