Photocopying, Libraries and the Copyright Law of the United Kingdom

In: International journal of law libraries: IJLL ; the official publication of the International Association of Law Libraries, Band 4, Heft 1, S. 26-31

Abstract

The present Copyright Act of the United Kingdom was passed in 1956, when modern photocopying was in its comparative infancy. The lusty cries of the novel technology were echoed in the Act. For instance, publishers secured a new form of copyright -in the typographical arrangement of an edition– which was protected against unauthorised reproduction by any photographic or similar process for 25 years from first publication of the edition. The Act also attempted to strike a balance over photocopying and similar practices. But the result was a cautious compromise which simply has not worked.