Freedom of information in cyberspace: What now for copyright?

Marion Oswald*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The UK Government's current transparency agenda comes at a time when freedom of information has come into conflict with copyright law. In particular, copyright has been asserted, wrongly in the regulator's view, by public authorities as a reason to prevent release under freedom of information legislation due to the likelihood of any response being published online. This article examines the potential conflict between the right of access to public information and the rights of any copyright holder to control its reuse in cyberspace. It discusses some recent cases, and considers how these could impact copyright law and current licensing norms. The changes proposed by the Protection of Freedoms Bill are considered and three potential routes to resolution proposed for debate, with particular reference to the wider debate about the fitness-for-purpose of copyright in an online and technologically developed world and the potential impact of Article 10. The current consultative environment may represent an opportunity to address freedom of information and copyright tensions, although perhaps only case law will resolve them once and for all.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)245-255
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Review of Law, Computers and Technology
Volume26
Issue number2-3
Early online date30 Jul 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • copyright infringement
  • freedom of information
  • online publication
  • public sector information

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Freedom of information in cyberspace: What now for copyright?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this