C) and CC): two different cultures?

Abstract

With the widespread use of digital technologies, the balance of the distribution and use of creative works started to lurch. Producers and consumers of cultural products equally feel that the new technologies and the legal stipulations reflecting the old approach have led to the restriction of their rights. The debate between supporters of copyright and those of copyleft is sharpening. Libraries, whose mission has been and will always be to ensure free access to scientific and cultural information by all users, while respecting the relevant legal regulations, may become victims of this debate. The study sets out the factors that have provoked the copyright problems of the digital age. The author also outlines possible solutions to be lobbied for by the libraries in order to fulfil their preservation and service tasks while protecting fair use. An interesting initiative is Creative Commons, already introduced in Hungary too, that aims to advocate free culture besides traditional permission culture.