How should copyright exceptions be drafted? This is a question of ongoing concern in scholarly and law reform debates. In Drafting Copyright Exceptions, Emily Hudson assesses drafting options using insights from the standards and rules literature, and case studies from cultural institutions in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Drawing on thousands of hours of fieldwork conducted over fourteen years, the book describes how staff engage with and interpret the law. Whilst some practices are guided strongly by copyright doctrine, others are influenced by the factors such as ethical views, risk assessment, and prosaic matters related to collection management. This work should be read by anyone interested in a detailed account of interpretative practices related to the drafting of copyright exceptions, but it also speaks to broader debates about the relationship between the 'law in books' and the 'law in action'.

How should copyright exceptions be drafted? This is a question of ongoing concern in scholarly and law reform debates. In Drafting Copyright Exceptions, Emily Hudson assesses drafting options using insights from the standards and rules literature, and case studies from cultural institutions in Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Drawing on thousands of hours of fieldwork conducted over fourteen years, the book describes how staff engage with and interpret the law. Whilst some practices are guided strongly by copyright doctrine, others are influenced by the factors such as ethical views, risk assessment, and prosaic matters related to collection management. This work should be read by anyone interested in a detailed account of interpretative practices related to the drafting of copyright exceptions, but it also speaks to broader debates about the relationship between the 'law in books' and the 'law in action'.

The development of new digital technologies has led to fundamental changes in the ways that cultural institutions fulfill their public missions of access, preservation, research, and education. Many institutions are developing publicly-accessible websites in which users can visit online exhibitions, search collection databases, access images of collection items, and in some cases create their own digital content. Digitization, however, also raises the possibility of copyright infringement. It is imperative, therefore, that staff in libraries, archives, and museums have a good understanding of fundamental copyright principles and how institutional procedures can be affected by the law. Copyright and Cultural Institutions was written to assist understanding and compliance with copyright law. It discusses the basics of copyright law and the exclusive rights of the copyright owner, the major exemptions used by cultural heritage institutions, and stresses the importance of "risk assessment" when conducting any digitization project. Two cases studies (on digitizing oral histories and student work) are also included.