Exceptions and Limitations

Exceptions and Limitations to copyright are provisions which allow for works protected by copyright to be used in specific situations without a licence from the copyright owner. There are numerous limitations and exceptions found in copyright legislation including, for example, the fair use exception, exceptions for libraries, archives and educational institutions, and the back-up copy exception.

European Union, Exceptions and Limitations, Legislative process, Making available (right of), Reproduction (right of)

(CIPIL, University of Cambridge)/ /Leave a comment

On the 28 of October the European Commission adopted a Recommendation on the digitisation and online accessibility of cultural material and digital preservation. The Recommendation follows up on a similar Recommendation from 2006, updating for new developments such as the launch in 2008 of Europeana and the adoption of the Commission’s proposal for a Directive…

Belgium, Case Law, Enforcement, Exceptions and Limitations, Infringement, Liability, Making available (right of), Remedies, Technological measures

(Marx, Van Ranst, Vermeersch & Partners)/ /Leave a comment

This sentence summarizes quite well the decision of the Antwerp Court of Appeal of 26 September 2011 which it is abstracted from. The Belgian Anti-piracy Federation filed a cease and desist action against Telenet and Belgacom, two Belgian ISPs, in order to make them block The Pirate Bay’s websites in their respective networks. In first…

Exceptions and Limitations, Legislative process, Private copying, United Kingdom

(Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London)/ /Leave a comment

[By Dr Luke McDonagh} The UK Government’s response to the Hargreaves’ Review includes the approval of a number of THE reports recommendations, the main ones being the acceptance of the need for a new procedure to clear and license orphan works, and the acceptance that some form of Digital Copyright Exchange is required. With regard…

Case Law, Exceptions and Limitations, Netherlands, Remuneration (equitable)

(Schulich School of Law )/ /Leave a comment

The summer is no longer quiet for the communications departments of most public sector organizations across the Netherlands! The age long practice of circulating hard copies of newspaper clippings among the employees of an organization is seriously compromised following a decision of the Court of appeal of Leeuwarden. On 13 July, the Court ruled that…

Case Law, Communication (right of), Distribution (right of), Exceptions and Limitations, Infringement, Jurisdiction, Making available (right of), Reproduction (right of), United Kingdom

/ /Leave a comment

UK: ITV Broadcasting Ltd v TV Catchup Ltd High Court of England and Wales (Patents Court), 18 July 2011 Live-streaming: In a case on internet live-streaming retransmission of TV broadcasts and films, the High Court ruled that the introduction in the UK Copyright Act of a general right of communication to the public with respect…

Belgium, Case Law, Collective management, Exceptions and Limitations, Legislative process, Remuneration (equitable)

(Marx, Van Ranst, Vermeersch & Partners)/ /Leave a comment

On 19 November 1992, the European Council adopted the Directive 92/100/EEC on rental right and lending right and on certain rights related to copyright in the field of intellectual property (now replaced by Directive 2006/115/EC), which provides an exclusive right to authorize or prohibit the rental and lending of originals and copies of copyrighted works….

Collective management, Exceptions and Limitations, Legislative process, Remuneration (equitable), Reproduction (right of), Spain

(European Audiovisual Observatory )/ /Leave a comment

In a somewhat surprising move, on 12 July 2011 the lower house of the Spanish Parliament urged the Government to abolish the so-called “canon digital” (the private copying levy on digital media) and replace it by a “less arbitrary and indiscriminate system” that provide rightsholders with a “fair and equitable remuneration based on the effective…

Exceptions and Limitations, Legislative process, Private copying, Remuneration (equitable), Spain

(IE University (Segovia, Spain))/ /Leave a comment

On 21 October 2010, the European Court of Justice rendered its judgement in case C-467/08 Padawan v SGAE, calling the current application of Spanish private copying levy into question. The judgement maintained that the Spanish private copying levy is abusive and that it does not meet with what Directive 2001/29/EC, on the harmonisation of certain…

Case Law, Distribution (right of), Exceptions and Limitations, Exhaustion, Making available (right of), Transfer (of right)

(iRights.info)/ /Leave a comment

The question, whether software licences for computer programs that were purchased in an intangible form (via download from the sellers’ server) can be resold by the first acquirer and used by the second buyer without consent of the right holder, has to be interpreted in light of the computer program directive 2009/24/EG. A full summary…

European Union, Exceptions and Limitations, Private copying, Reproduction (right of)

(University of Cyprus)/ /1 Comment

On 16 June 2011 the Court of Justice of the European Union gave judgment in Case C-462/09, Stichting de Thuiskopie v. Opus Supplies Deutschland GmbH, Mijndert van der Lee and Hananja van der Lee (case C 462/09), a reference for a preliminary ruling from the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden (the Dutch Supreme Court). As in…