Stef van Gompel

The orphan works problem: the copyright conundrum of digitizing large-scale audiovisual archives, and how to solve it

This article examines the problem of “orphan works” against the background of various projects for mass-digitization of audiovisual content. Orphan works are works for which the copyright owners cannot be identified or located. The fact that a particular work is “orphaned” makes it impossible to clear the rights and to legally reutilize the work. This article describes and evaluates six different possible regulatory solutions to the orphan works problem, including extended collective licensing and compulsory licensing. The article concludes that if one wants to make the vast European audiovisual cultural heritage available for future usage, regulatory intervention is indispensable.

The Orphan Works Chimera and How to Defeat it: A View from Across the Atlantic

This article contends that the orphan works problem (the problem of unknown or untraceable owners of copyright or related rights) is a generic problem. It is not specific to a certain form of use, but has implications across the copyright spectrum. Yet, it manifests itself in different ways, depending on the type of use that is made of these works. The article consists of three parts. Employing the metaphor of the Chimera, a three-headed she-monster in ancient Greek mythology, Part I introduces the different ways in which the problem manifests itself and describes the legal uncertainty that the different categories of users of orphan works experience. The three categories of uses that the article distinguishes are: mass-digitization projects (the lion’s head), transformative and derivative uses (the serpent’s head), and small-scale incidental uses (the goat’s head). Part II argues that there is not one best approach to address the orphan works problem. Rather, it suggests adopting a multifaceted approach that would provide adequate relief for the different categories of users of orphan works. Part III concludes.

Formalities in the digital era: an obstacle or opportunity?

This paper, which was presented at the 2009 ALAI conference in London, examines the possible reintroduction of copyright formalities against the background of the challenges that copyright law faces in the digital era. It does so by contrasting the current calls for reintroducing formalities with the legal-historical reasons for their abolition. The paper concludes that, while, in the pre-digital era, the objections against copyright formalities were real, in the light of the changes caused by the advent of digital technologies, there is now sufficient reason to reconsider subjecting copyright to formalities.

Formalidades del derecho de autor en la era de internet: filtros de protección o facilitadores de licenciamiento

El autor se refiere a los objetivos que inspirarian la reinstauracion de formalidades de derechos de autor, senalando dos objetivos especificos, el de facilitar la adquisicion de derechos de autor y el de mejorar el flujo de informacion al aumentar el dominio publico. Ambos ayudarian a alcanzar el objetivo general de crear certeza legal sobre la autoria, dominio y terminos de proteccion de las obras. Determinados estos objetivos el autor examina de que forma y que tipo de formalidades, a la luz de las exigencias del Convenio de Berna, podrian ayudar a alcanzar dichos objetivos. Concluye que actualmente solo podrian ser introducidas formalidades con el proposito de facilitar la adquisicion de derechos, salvo que la prohibicion de formalidades del Convenio de Berna sea cambiada.

Copyright Formalities in the Internet Age: Filters of Protection or Facilitators of Licensing

This article examines how copyright formalities may aid in addressing the objectives of enhancing the free flow of information by enlarging the public domain and facilitating the licensing of copyright protected materials. For this purpose, it maps the different objectives for reintroducing copyright formalities and provides a brief overview of the types of formalities that might be imposed, including the legal consequences that can be attached to them. The article then explores in more detail which formalities, in what way, can assist in accomplishing the specific objectives of enriching the public domain and facilitating rights clearance. It concludes with a synthesis of the main findings.