Copyright and Museums in the Digital Age

June 2016

By Dr. Yaniv Benhamou, Attorney-at-Law, Lecturer, University of Geneva, Switzerland

Digital museums disseminated over technology platforms and social networks are fast becoming the norm. But they raise a number of legal issues ranging from copyright to image rights and data protection to contract law. Copyright, in particular, plays a key role in that it governs whether and how content can be used. This article explore some of the key issues facing museums involved in curating interactive online exhibitions or smartphone apps that are backed up with social media strategies and crowdfunding options. It also offers guidance on what museums can do to ensure their activities comply with copyright law.

So what exactly are digital museums?

Digital museums take various forms and serve different purposes. There are “brochure museums” which act as an informative website for a museum; there are “content museums”, which are databases of museum collections; and there are “virtual museums” or “museums without walls”, which offer a variety of online content.

Whether they involve digitization or dissemination of collections over social networks or other technology platforms, digital museums face a number of legal issues relating to copyright, image rights, data protection, traditional knowledge and the law of contracts, among others.

Full Access | http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2016/03/article_0005.html

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library

Khaitan & Co

Blog | http://pralhad-fyilibrarian.blogspot.in/

Best Paper Award | Received the Best Paper Award at TIFR-BOSLA National Conference on Future Librarianship: Innovation for Excellence (NCFL 2016) on April 23, 2016.  The title of the paper is “Removing Barriers to Literacy: Marrakesh VIP Treaty”

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