CRC12 / CRC13 – Page 2

Modernising Copyright, the Report of the Copyright Review Committee [CRC], was published in October 2013. It contained an extensive draft Copyright and Related Rights (Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2013 to implement its recommendations. Senator Seán Barrett has now introduced a Private Member’s Bill into the Seanad to enact that draft Bill. Entitled the Copyright and Related Rights (Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015, leave to introduce it was granted on Wednesday, 2 December 2015; and the Bill itself was published this morning.

The text is the same as that of the CRC’s draft Bill, except in four respects. …

The present of copyright – where are we now with copyright reform?

23 November, 201522 December, 2015

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In advance of tomorrow’s event on the future of copyright, I thought I’d write a few words about where we are now with copyright reform in Ireland and the EU. The twin legislative bases for Irish copyright law date from the turn of the millennium: the Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 (also here) and the EU Copyright Directive (Directive 2001/29/EC on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society; the InfoSoc Directive). In Modernising Copyright, in October 2013, the Copyright Review Committee recommended various changes to the 2000 Act to adapt it better for the digital age. The EU Commission is moving towards making recommendations with a similar aim.

In January 2012, the EU Commission began a consultation process on reform of the InfoSoc Directive (SEC(2011) 1640 final) (11 January 2012). In parallel, it considered copyright licensing, intermediary responsibilities (notice and action) and private copying levies (pdf). Although the probable conclusions of the consultation process were leaked in 2014, they were never formally published. Among their number seems to have been a recommendation that the exceptions to and limitations on copyright provided by the InfoSoc Directive should be harmonized at a European level, so that every state should provide for the same exhaustive exceptions and limitations.…

The future of copyright

18 November, 201518 November, 2015

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THE FUTURE OF COPYRIGHT

Tuesday, 24 November 2015 – 18:00 to 19:30

FREE – PLEASE REGISTER

Paccar Theatre, Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin.

Digitisation of creative works and exponential growth of web-based communications have made the enjoyment of music, films, books, TV and much more, almost ubiquitous. Alongside this, fast internet and the increasingly wide use of smartphones and portable devices has enabled users to exchange and easily share these files. Yet, the body of law that has traditionally aimed to ensure an economic incentive and reward to content creators and producers – broadly defined – has suffered for more than fifteen years from an identity crisis.

Join me in conversation with my Trinity colleague Giuseppe Mazziotti in a discussion around the commercial, technological, cultural and societal implications of the current review of the copyright framework undertaken in the context of the EU Digital Agenda, where European policy makers are seeking to ensure a more effective, uniform and acceptable definition of copyright’s scope and of its online enforcement techniques [see COM(2015) 192 final (pdf)].

The occasion for this talk is the publication by the European Parliament of a Review of the EU copyright framework [available here; pdf] which was co-authored by Giuseppe Mazziotti.…

Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015 – IV – Staff, Pensions, Innovation and IP

6 February, 201511 March, 2015

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| Copyright, CRC12 / CRC13, Universities

This is the fourth and final post in a series on Senator Seán Barrett‘s Private Members’ Bill, the Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015, which was discussed last week in the Seanad (earlier posts are here, here and here). Section 7 of the Bill relates to some staff issues. In particular, section 7(1)-(2) would have solved some of the problems associated with the interpretation of section 25(8)(b) of the Universities Act, 1997 (also here) in the Supreme Court in Fanning v UCC [2005] IEHC 264 (24 June 2005), aff’d [2008] IESC 59 (28 October 2008).…

Modernising Copyright: The Report of the Copyright Review Committee #CRC13

29 October, 201318 November, 2015

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CRC_Report_Cover_Thumbnail Today in the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Minister Bruton and Minister Sherlock launched Modernising Copyright, the Report of the Copyright Review Committee (pdfs: via this site; via the DJEI site [link updated 18 November 2015]) (see barnold law | Business & Leadership | Damien Mulley| DJEI Press Release here and here | Irish Times | infojustice.org | Irish Independent | Technology.ie | The 1709 Blog | TheJournal.ie).

Copyright reform is in the air, in Australia, Canada, Germany, India (pdf), the EU (here, here, here (pdf), and here), the UK, and the US (here (pdf) and here). As part of this process, the Copyright Review Committee (the Committee) was established on 9 May 2011 by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton (TD). It consisted of Dr Eoin O’Dell (Trinity College Dublin), Patricia McGovern (DFMG Solicitors, Dublin), and Professor Steve Hedley (University College Cork), and it was tasked with proposing solutions for areas of current copyright law that create barriers to innovation.

The Committee established a website for the process, held a public meeting on 4 July 2011, received over 100 written submissions, and published a Consultation Paper on 29 February 2012.…

Copyright, Technology and Education

31 May, 201331 May, 2013

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And so to Cork, for the Irish Learning Technology Association‘s 14th annual education technology conference on the theme of “Opening up Education – Content, Learning and Collaboration”. I will be talking this afternoon on “Copyright, Technology and Education”. Given the topic of the conference, my focus is on whether copyright reform can open up education, facilitate greater access to content, and encourage collaboration in learning and teaching. The context of this talk is the Copyright Review Committee Consultation Paper (you can download a pdf of the Paper here (via DJEI) or here (from this site); and summaries of each of the chapters are linked from this page), which made many recommendations relating to education, including adding “education” to the “teaching and research” exceptions, making thorough provision for reproductions for persons with a disability, and extending copyright deposit to digital works. Here are my slides (pdf); there is a live-stream here; and I’ll put a link here to the video in due course.…

Limited extension of time for #CRC12 submissions

29 May, 20127 November, 2012

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| Copyright, CRC12 / CRC13, Fair use

#CRC12logosmall The Copyright Review Committee has announced a limited extension of time for submissions. There has been a good response to the Committee’s wide-ranging Consultation Paper (you can download a pdf of the Paper here (via DJEI) or here (from this site); and summaries of each of the chapters are linked from this page).

However, although the date for submissions has already been extended from Friday 13 April 2012 to Thursday 31 May 2012, there have been many further requests for another extension. The Committee has therefore decided to extend the closing date to close of business on Friday 29 June 2012, in the following two limited circumstances only:

first, parties who intend to make a submission to the Committee, but who feel that they cannot do so before the existing deadline of close of business Thursday 31 May 2012, should apply to the Committee before that date for an extension until close of business on Friday 29 June 2012. The Committee will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis.
second, the Committee will soon publish on their website – probably here – every submission that will have been received by the current deadline of 31 May 2012, and the Committee will accept responses to those submissions until close of business on Friday 29 June 2012.

…

#CRC12 – Copyright Review Committee public meeting, this Sat, 10am, TCD

22 March, 20124 March, 2013

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Dáithí O’Ceallaigh, Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs and Chairman of the Press Council of Ireland (pictured left) will chair the public meeting of the Copyright Review Committee on Saturday, 24 March 2012, from 10:00am until 12:00 noon, in the Robert Emmet Lecture Theatre, Room 2037 Arts Block (map here), Trinity College Dublin. The meeting will be divided into eight 15-minute question-and-answer segments, covering (i) the proposed Copyright Council; (ii) rights-holders; collecting societies; (iv) intermediaries; (v) users; (vi) entrepreneurs; (vii) heritage institutions; and (viii) fair use. Attendance is free and open to anyone interested in the work of the Committee, but registration is necessary.To register, you can

email the Review,

write to Copyright Review, Room 517, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, or

complete the Committee’s online questionnaire and answer the last question by confirming that you wish to attend the meeting.

I look forward to seeing you there!