New EU Commission recommendation

[Choralia]

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
of 27 October 2011
on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation
(2011/711/EU)

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex ... 045:EN:PDF

Some excerpts:

Digitisation and online accessibility of public domain material

5. improve access to and use of digitised cultural material that is in the public domain by:

(a) ensuring that material in the public domain remains in the public domain after digitisation;

(b) promoting the widest possible access to digitised public domain material as well as the widest possible reuse of the material for non-commercial and commercial purposes;

(c) taking measures to limit the use of intrusive watermarks or other visual protection measures that reduce the usability of the digitised public domain material;

Max

[Philidor]

Excellent news! If enacted it would be one in the eye for (the small minority of) libraries who:

(a) get their hands on culturally priceless manuscripts and early printed editions;
(b) try to find a way to charge people money to obtain copies of them in a form that can go on a music stand; and
(c) bully, obfuscate and set hares running about Super Magic Copyright and play the victim -- the "Poor us we need to raise funds" emotional blackmail card -- when their little game is exposed.

Sheet Music Treasure Trove in Italy