<div dir="ltr">Interesting example of small but real progress in educating by persuading government agencies to discuss facts that are important to us but not normally something they think about.<br><br>Luis<br><div><br><div class="gmail_quote">
---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Daniel Boos</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:boos@pong.ch">boos@pong.ch</a>></span><br>Date: Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 6:37 AM<br>Subject: [communia-associates] Offical Public Domain FAQ from Switzerland<br>
To: <a href="mailto:communia-associates@lists.communia-association.org">communia-associates@lists.communia-association.org</a><br><br><br>Hi all<br>
<br>
Last year we kindly asked the Swiss Intellectual Property Institute to<br>
write an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on questions concerning the<br>
Public Domain. They were supportive of our idea.<br>
<br>
Last week they published their answers (in German):<br>
<a href="https://www.ige.ch/service/haeufige-fragen/urheberrecht/public-domain.html" target="_blank">https://www.ige.ch/service/haeufige-fragen/urheberrecht/public-domain.html</a><br>
<br>
Unfortunately they are in German. IPI/IGE will translate the FAQ and add<br>
some answers about international matters. Some of the answers have<br>
implications for archives, museums or libraries in Switzerland. For<br>
example the FAQ makes clear:<br>
<br>
- when works are not protected by copyright in Switzerland (e.g need for<br>
some individual creativity (geistige Schöpfung ohne Individualität),<br>
official protocolls and reports, scientific data, after 70 years (death<br>
of author or if author is not known 70 years after publication), many<br>
everyday photos)<br>
<br>
- what one can do with works in the public domian<br>
<br>
- that the digitalization of a work usually does not create new<br>
intellectual property rights<br>
<br>
- circumstances, when it is allowed to break DRM protecting public<br>
domain works.<br>
<br>
- it does not matter, if a work is published or not. They all fall in<br>
the public domain 70 years after the death of the author<br>
<br>
- ...<br>
<br>
It also contains a nice definition in about what the public domain is. I<br>
think it is important to have such a FAQ on the webpage of the official<br>
agency for intellectual property matters in Switzerland. It is probably<br>
the only FAQ on their side describing what is not protected by copyright.<br>
<br>
I wrote a short article on the Digitale Allmend Blog.<br>
<a href="http://allmend.ch/2014/02/ige-veroffentlicht-faq-zu-public-domain/" target="_blank">http://allmend.ch/2014/02/ige-veroffentlicht-faq-zu-public-domain/</a><br>
<br>
Please distribute it to those that might be interested.<br>
<br>
The Swiss Intellectual Property Institute welcomes feedback. We might<br>
discuss it on the list. If you wish, Beat Estermann and I can report back.<br>
<br>
Best regards<br>
<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">Daniel Boos<br>
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</font></span></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr">Luis Villa<br>Deputy General Counsel<br>Wikimedia Foundation<br>415.839.6885 ext. 6810<br><div><a value="+14158820495"></a><br><div><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Tahoma"><font style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1">NOTICE: </font></span><font style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1"><i>This message may be confidential or legally privileged. If you have received it by accident, please delete it
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