This post was first published in Clare Painter’s digital rights newsletter on 26 September 2016

New Online Tool for EU Copyright Exceptions

Copyright exceptions are changing

There’s a great deal going on in the world of copyright reform, and I thought you might like to know about a handy new tool available online. It’s also free of charge.

There are currently multiple changes being implemented to the list of copyright exceptions in the countries of the European Union: exceptions are special provisions which allow you to use copyright material without needing formal permission from the rights holder, in specific circumstances.

It can be confusing when, inevitably, some countries legislate more swiftly than others, so to assist with this problem a new website has been set up. This shows you details of all the new exceptions, and the status of each one in every EU country: CopyrightExceptions.EU

Personally I find the map view particularly useful for an ‘at a glance’ view of particular exceptions across different countries. You will see there’s still some way to go in new legislation!