Intellectual Property issues for digital libraries in the Internet networked public sphere

Abstract : The development of Digital Libraries and repositories, a worldwide vision with enormous political and ideological importance for humanity, in an effort to approach cultures and preserve plurality and diversity, is directly affected by the provisions of Intellectual Property Law and is subject to the consideration of innovation through legislation. Legal issues such as these related to software use, database protection, the collection, digitization, archiving, and distribution of protected works are of outmost importance for the operation and viability of Digital Libraries and repositories. In this whitepaper, we focus upon some of these legal issues and consider an alternative proposal in respect of Intellectual Property law for open access to creative works furnished to the public through Digital Libraries and repositories