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Title:
Practical Copyright for Information Professionals: The CILIP Handbook
Review:
Sandy Norman is a freelance copyright consultant. In this handbook,
published by CILIP, she aims to demystify the law of copyright and
provide practical guidance on dealing with copyright issues. She
achieves that aim. The book is easy to use with a sustained focus on
issues relevant to library and information professionals, and the
organisations they work for. It is written in a manner that allows
for quick access to the relevant question for those seeking specific
guidance, while providing enough background material to satisfy those
who want the reasons behind this guidance.
The book offers a clear exposition of copyright law from copyright
basics, to a brief look at the historical context and an outline of
relevant international developments. For those inspired to learn
more, the final chapter is devoted to sources of further information
including a useful survey of the committees and professional bodies
active in the field. This chapter also sets out the usual references
and recommends further reading.
The handbook has been updated to account for the changes made by the
Copyright and Related Rights Regulations Act 2003. There is also a
section on illuminating cases from the UK and elsewhere.
To aid focused use by time-pressed information professionals
seeking quick reference on specific issues, chapters are divided into
sections focusing on particular practical issues. For example,
chapter one includes a section setting out the rules for determining
first ownership of copyright in different types of material. Chapter
two highlights exceptions of particular relevance for information
professionals, including sections on permission to copy and the
various contexts in which this arises, exceptions particularly
relevant to educational establishments, and on copying by and for
visually impaired persons. Each chapter ends with a list of 'ten
points to remember from the chapter' which provides a summary and also
a useful aide-memoire.
This commonsense approach informs each chapter. Handy tips include a
rule of thumb for identifying a 'substantial' part of a work, a
checklist of common license terms and similarly helpful comments on
the fair dealing exceptions. The book also includes a helpful
collection of case studies and frequently asked questions together
with responses which are clearly rooted in considerable experience and
take a straightforward and pragmatic approach.
The compliance solutions include contractual solutions with an outline
of the characteristics of commonly available licenses and an
introduction to the key stages involved in negotiating copyright
licences.
This book is likely to be a regularly consulted reference volume for
library workers, information managers and anyone who manages the use
of copyright material and needs an accessible introduction to
copyright law. Within the constraints of its 175 pages it provides
clearly presented practical guidance to the legal issues that may
confront you on a day-to-day basis.
Free Pint Reviewer:
Shivaji Shiva is a solicitor in the Charity Team at Russell-Cooke
Solicitors. He advises a range of not-for-profit organisations including national archives and museums on issues including copyright
and data protection.
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