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Step in the right direction on copyright



The Federal Government has released for public comment proposed changes designed to modernise and improve our copyright laws.

We're pleased that the Government has acted to address FAIR's concerns about the current Copyright Act which is complex and based on old technologies.

In 2015, we ran the 'Cooking for Copyright' campaign. The campaign raised awareness of one particular issue – perpetual copyright for unpublished works. While copyright is limited to 70 years after the death of the creator for published works, for unpublished works copyright lasts forever. 

Unpublished works include old diaries, letters, company records, theses – even recipes. The copyright rules as they currently stand mean that these manuscripts, are locked away – to no one’s benefit.

The proposed change to the laws will align the terms of protection for unpublished works with published works which means that millions of items can be unlocked for the use of researchers, family historians, students, inventors and anyone with an interest in our cultural heritage. 



Poor old Naruto 

Catch up with the copyright drama surrounding the Macaque monkey called Naruto who took a famous selfie.

The Guardian reports a US district judge noted while Congress and the President can extend the protection of law to animals as well as human, there's no indication that they did so in the Copyright Act.

Animal rights group Peta says Naruto should receive all proceeds from the photos for the benefit of crested macaques living in a reserve in Indonesia.  

 



Almost 600 nominations 

We've had almost 600 nominations for the Great School Libraries campaign and there's no shortage of pride, praise and student admiration for their school libraries.

Stay tuned for an announcement listing the Great School Libraries later in the first term of the year.

Our panel of school library experts will be busy reviewing the nominations over the next couple of months. 

When the list is compiled we will be congratulating the Great School Libraries by publishing a list in Australian Teacher Magazine - March edition, writing to principals, State and Territory Education Ministers and their Departments.

In the meantime, check out all the contributions in the portfolio of Great School Libraries.

Support free speech




On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks (January 7), PEN International has issued a statement aimed at encouraging governments to protect critical voices and freedom of expression.

IFLA and many others have added their signature to the statement in support of the crucial principles outlined and addressed. 

Australia Day Your Way 


It's an initiative to encourage Australians everywhere to tweet their Australia Day celebrations using #australiaday.

These tweets will be curated by the National Museum of Australia in a live digital exhibition showcasing the many ways we celebrate Australia Day 2016.

 

Open Government

Many governments around the world are working on making their governments more open and accountable.

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is an initiative that aims to secure commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

Australia has joined in - see the progress on a public consultation to develop its first national action plan. 

 

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Twitter: @joinFAIR

Web: https://fair.alia.org.au/greatschoollibraries

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