Date: 2011
Type: Working Paper
Copyright and Educational Uses: The unbearable case of Italian law from a European and comparative perspective
Working Paper, EUI LAW, 2011/17
MAZZIOTTI, Giuseppe, Copyright and Educational Uses: The unbearable case of Italian law from a European and comparative perspective, EUI LAW, 2011/17 - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/19697
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
This study focuses on the legal treatment of educational uses of copyrighted works under Italian law. Considering the very narrow room for free, unauthorized educational uses under Article 70 of the Italian Copyright Act, one would expect a large recourse to rights clearance mechanisms ensuring a wide and legitimate use of copyrighted works for educational purposes (especially when such works are communicated through digital networks and are used on e-learning platforms). Unfortunately, this is not the case in Italy, where neither stakeholders nor competent authorities have taken steps to create an effective system of licences for educational uses. A comparative analysis of exceptions and licensing mechanisms for educational uses in a few countries of continental Europe, northern Europe and of the United States reveals solutions and contractual patterns that show possible solutions for Italy to escape from the present stalemate. In nearly all jurisdictions considered in the study, collective bargaining and collective management constitute an essential element of the regulation of educational uses of copyrighted works and set up mechanisms and levels of economic compensation for authors, publishers and other categories of right-holders. In conclusion, the study suggests a reform of Italian law based on the examples of statutory licensing schemes created for educational uses by countries like Germany and France. Such reform would aim at legalizing a number of educational uses to the benefit of certain categories of beneficiaries through the recognition of remuneration rights in favour of copyright holders.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 1
2. Copyright and Educational Uses under Italian Law .........................................................3
2.1 Educational Uses for Illustrative and Non-Commercial Purposes .......................................... 4
2.1.1 Article 70 ICA and exceptions at the EU and international levels ..................................... 4
2.1.2 Implementation of Article 70 ICA in Italian case law ................................................. 7
2.2 Online Publication of Low-Resolution or Degraded Music and Images ...................................... 9
2.3 Relevance of the Provisions Targeting Private Use of Copyrighted Works ................................ 11
3. Exceptions and Licenses for Educational Uses from a Comparative Perspective ............................ 15
3.1 Types of educational exceptions and their fields of application ........................................15
3.1.1 Continental Europe .................................................................................. 15
3.1.2 Northern Europe ......................................................................................17
3.1.3 United States ........................................................................................18
3.2 Licensing Models for Educational Uses ..................................................................20
3.2.1 United States and England............................................................................ 20
3.2.2 Continental Europe and Scandinavia .................................................................. 23
4. In Search of Legislative Solutions for the Italian Case ................................................ 27
Additional information:
An earlier Italian version of this study was published with the title “Diritto d’autore, libere utilizzazioni e licenze per attività didattiche: l’insostenibile leggerezza della legge italiana in una prospettiva europea e comparata” in Il Diritto di Autore, n. 82/2, 207 (2011).
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/19697
ISSN: 1725-6739
Series/Number: EUI LAW; 2011/17