Managing Intellectual Property in Digital Libraries and Copyright Challenges

Abstract

Digital technology gives libraries an excellent opportunity to improve their services. It also provides new ways of preserving and disseminating library collections. But the different stages of digitization of the materials in libraries involve many copyright issues. This leads to myriad legal and practical challenges such as locating the owner of copyright. Librarians need to take note of these problems and explore possible solutions. The chapter explores types of intellectual property and their characteristics, legal challenges for digital libraries, legislative responses to the challenges, copyright and fair use, digital library and copyright as well as copyright challenges and recommendations.