What is the relationship between creativity, cultural heritage institutions and copyright? Who owns culture and cultural heritage? The digital age has expanded the horizon of creative possibilities for artists and cultural institutions - what is the impact on legal regimes that were constructed for an analogue world? What are the tensions between the safeguarding of cultural heritage and the dissemination of knowledge about culture?
Inspired by a three year research project involving leading European universities, this book explores the relationship between copyright and intellectual property, creativity and innovation, and cultural heritage institutions. Its contributors are scholars from both the humanities and the social sciences - from cultural studies to law - as well as cultural practitioners and representatives from cultural heritage institutions. They all share an interest in the contribution of intellectual property to the role of cultural institutions in making culture accessible and encouraging new creativity.
Table of Contents:
Contents: Introduction, Helle Porsdam. Part I Who Owns Culture: Cultural Heritage Institutions and Copyright?: Two doctrines of and for cultural property: how Europe and America are different, Martin Skrydstrup; Museums revisited: the position of the museum in the new governance of the protection of cultural heritage and cultural diversity, Lucky Belder; Libraries, creativity and copyright, Darryl Mead and Fred Saunderson; Libraries in the post-scarcity era, Balázs Bodó. Part II The Arts, Literature, Design and Copyright: Arts festivals as cultural heritage in a copyright saturated world, Fiona Macmillan; The artfulness of design: copyright and the Danish modern inheritance, Stina Teilmann-Lock; Who owns Uncle Tom's Cabin? Literature as cultural property, Peter Schneck. Part III Creativity, Authorship, Copyright and the Public Domain: Pirates, librarians and open source capitalists: new alliances in the copyright wars, Martin Fredriksson; Copyright, creativity, and transformative use, Kim Treiger-Bar-Am; Author unknown: last words, Valdimar Tr. Hafstein. Index.
About the Author :
Helle Porsdam is Professor of American Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Review :
`For anyone pondering what the public mission of today's cultural heritage institutions should be, this volume offers a sweeping read. What binds the contributions is the critical reflection on the idea and role of copyright as regulator of cultural property and creativity. The varying perspectives taken ensure a rich analysis that surpasses the traditional legal and economic views.’
Mireille van Eechoud, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
