In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted almost every aspect of our lives, and access to content was no exception. The sudden closure of physical facilities forced institutions and creators to quickly pivot to making content available online. But for many users, getting access to digitised content has not been easy – and in some cases it has simply been impossible.
This year, the ADA Copyright Forum will focus on the question of ACCESS: how do institutions provide online access to users, and what are the hurdles they have faced in doing that? We are bringing together a range of experts and practitioners to talk about these issues in the context of the pandemic and the government’s proposed access reforms which are designed to address some of these challenges.
Forum format
The forum will look quite different this year, and we are excited to be experimenting with a new mixed-media format. Over a period of two weeks between Monday 26 April and Wednesday 7 May 2021 we will bring you a mix of pre-recorded presentations and extended real-time Q&A webinars with our speakers.
Pre-recorded content will give our speakers the chance to present their ideas and perspectives in a way that is easy for you to watch – whenever and wherever is convenient. Live webinars delivered later in the week will give you the opportunity to engage in an extended Q&A with our speakers, who will be joined by other experts and practitioners who will contribute to the conversation. We will also be bringing you blog posts and other short-form videos to provide the widest range of perspectives as possible.
Sessions sneak peak
This year, we bring together copyright experts from across the world to talk about access during and post the pandemic. We aren’t quite ready to announce the full list of speakers and sessions yet, but here’s a sneak peak:
Getting exceptions right – a view from the UK
Dr Emily Hudson – author of Drafting Copyright Exceptions: From the law in books to the law in action. Dr Hudson will draw on insights gained from her research to talk about orphan works, fair dealing for non-commercial quotation and section 200AB of the Copyright Act.
Regional update – Singapore Copyright Bill
In February, the Ministry of Law and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore began consultation on a draft bill to amend the Singapore Copyright Act. We will be joined by Trina Ha (Director of the Legal Department at IPOS) as well as members from the team responsible for drafting the bill to discuss the reforms process and any lessons for Australian lawmakers.
Digitisation in action – making works accessible online
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many of the shortfalls of our current copyright system, including the difficulties in making collections available online. In this session, practitioners from cultural institutions will talk about the process of making their collections available to users online.
The full program and dates for each session will be announced over the coming weeks, so please make sure that you are subscribed to our mailing list and keep an eye on our Facebook Page and our Twitter handle.