<
https://www.techdirt.com/2023/12/26/how-copyright-hinders-the-preservation-of-modern-digital-culture/>
"A recent
Guardian interview with the British Library’s head of digital
publications, Giulia Carla Rossi, reveals the problems caused by copyright for
those tasked with preserving modern culture. In some respects, the British
Library finds itself in a fortunate position, as Rossi explains:
Because we collect under non-print legal deposit [the regulation that grants
the British Library a copy of every work published in the UK], the idea is
we collect everything that is published.
However, there is a fundamental difference between collecting analogue
publications such as books, and those that are born digital. Where the former
can be appreciated directly, the latter require a platform of some kind. That
might be an operating system, a browser plug in, or specific hardware such as a
game console. Rossi warns:
It’s easy to take for granted the technology we have access to right now.
Apps and tablets are still very much alive and happening, and people might
not realise how fragile some of these formats are, because they are reliant
on bespoke software. It’s hard to think far in the future and realise that
the kind of technology, and even the way we read, might be very different in
a few years’ time.
In practice, that means that as platforms become obsolete and are phased out,
they can take with them the digital artefacts that depend on those platforms to
be accessed. Technical solutions exist that can help deal with these issues.
For example, code stored on old physical formats can be transferred to new
ones, and software emulators can help keep digital artefacts alive that might
otherwise be impossible to access. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that there’s a big problem in the form of copyright law.
Generally speaking, technical solutions can only be applied with the permission
of the copyright holders. If the latter can’t be found – hard enough with
physical books, often impossible for complex pieces of outdated software –
these characteristic digital creations may be doomed to disappear. The severity
of punishments for copyright infringement are so disproportionate, that
researchers and curators are understandably unwilling to risk being taken to
court for their preservation work – good intentions are no defense. Moreover,
it’s a threat that continues to hang over cultural institutions for decades as
a result of copyright’s absurdly long term."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
