Copyright aspects of the Digitised Legislation Knowledge Store

Abstract

Libraries planning digitisation activities must consider three main issues in terms of copyright: May they digitise their holdings at all? What rights arise for the library after digitisation? What can the library do with the material within legal limits? Before answering these questions a number of tasks has to be solved, in order to ensure that the works are utilised in accordance with copyright regulations: first, it has to be established whether the work in question is protected under copyright or related rights; second, if so, whether the period of protection has already ended; third, whether the planned action is qualified as authorized or free use; and, after this three-step test, whether its free use (digitisation and provision) is possible. The DTT portal includes two million pages of historical parliamentary documents, sources of law, literature on law, history and political science. About 60% of these materials does not either belong under the Copyright Law of 1999 (no. LXXVI.), or the specified protection time has already elapsed, consequently, they can be made accessible to all. These materials are provided by the Library of the Hungarian Parliament organised into a database. A smaller part of documents, about 40%, are still under copyright protection. These digitised pages are provided solely on a closed network, and one cannot replicate (copy, print or save) them. As libraries and the book publishing industry have got different views on some issues, it is important to continue their dialogue begun last year, as it is their common interest to design a modern service system.