National and Global Dimensions of the Public Domain

Fair Use in the public domain
While attempting to do some cursory research on the current status of parody in the New Zealand IP framework, see previous post, I came across this Australian gold seam of thinking on fair use in the public domain.

For sure some of it is a tad dry, but the papers from this conference are well worth re-broadcast, even if many of us might need the odd wet Sunday to absorb them, especially if we are trying to work through the issues around digital access to heritage material for access and learning.

Unlocking IP
Organised by the UNSW Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre the 3rd ‘Unlocking IP’ Conference at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, was held on the 16-17 April 2009. Earlier UIP Conferences were held in 2004 and 2006.

1. Themes
The Conference explored "the national and global dimensions of the copyright public domain" and drew on the Project’s research to provide a structure for further discussion.

It brought together scholars, as well as showcasing notable Australian achievements in the copyright public domain.

Unlocking IP Project,
This is the third 'Unlocking IP' conference, following the successful 2004 and 2006 Conferences also held at UNSW and jointly hosted by the Centre and AEShareNet (now TVET).

The conferences are part of the Unlocking IP Project, a research project funded by the Australian Research Council. The research investigates how Australia's digital commons, comprising both the public domain and public rights created by open content and open software licensing, can be expanded and protected. The project's Background Paper sets this out in more detail.

The Papers

DAY 1 - Thursday 16 April

• 1. The Magic Pudding: Australia's Public Domain
• 2A. Surveying the Commons
• 2B. Learning from Histories and Cultures
• 3A. Making Exceptions 1
• 3B. Coexistence of Open Content and Compulsory Licences
• 4A. Making Exceptions 2: Cultural Institutions
• 4B. Re-use of Government Works
• 5A. Open Source Software and Open Standards

DAY 2 – Friday 17 April

• 6. Business Models Integrating Public Rights
• 7A. Orphan Works, Legal Deposit and Locating Missing Rights Holders
• 7B. Public Rights in Publicly-Funded Research

Source
http://www.cyberlawcentre.org/unlocking-ip/2009/papers.htm

My pick
There are some great presentations from Anne Fitzgerald, Faculty of Law, QUT around open access standards. Also be sure to check the paper and slides from Jessica Coates of the Australian Creative Commons Clinic -

Heritage sector - libraries and museums
Actually - as it is totally on message for the heritage world in general, and the library and museum world in particular, and she has given it a Creative Commons licence, why don't I embed the slides. The paper is here.

Jessica Coates (Creative Commons Clinic, Queensland University of Technology) – 'Making the most of what we’ve got – why we need an Australian Creative Archive’

View more presentations from littlehigh.