Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) Publishes Response to EC Copyright Rules Consultation

UPDATE: The Library Copyright Alliance (ARL, ACRL, and ALA members) have also responded to the EC consultation. Their comments can be found here. Summarized here (via ARL Policy Notes).  
UPDATE 2: Response from Creative Commons Europe (PDF)
The Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) responses to the European Commission copyright consultation are available in this document.

We’ve also embedded a full text copy below.
Highlights from the LIBER Response

• Better harmonisation of legal and technical requirements for sharing content across EU member states;

• All exceptions related to education, learning and access to knowledge to be made mandatory. In particular, we would like to see a specifiexception for text and data mining for all research purposes and for the wording of the Information Society Directive to be expanded so that it also applies to digital preservation activities;

• Safe-guarding from contracts undermining limitations and exceptions in copyright law;

• [Our emphasis] Provisions to allow e-lending by libraries, similar to analogue lending;

• [Our emphasis]  Publicly-funded research results to be made openly available regardless of contracts signed with a publisher;

• Research exceptions that make no distinction between commercial and non-commercial purposes;

• Data such as hyperlinks to remain free of all intellectual property rights. They are a building block of knowledge and must be freely usable and shareable by anyone for any purpose;

• [Our emphasis] The minimum terms of protection in Europe (currently 70 years) to be reduced to life plus 50 years for copyrighted works.

LIBER Public Copyright Consultation Response

European Commission Copyright Consultation Document

See Also: European Research Libraries Calls For Copyright Reform in New Position Paper (December 18, 2013)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Digital Preservation, Libraries, News, Preservation, Publishing