October 21, 2009   

[FreePint] Call for Participation: Copyright Research

Ensuring copyright compliance grows more complex all the time, and organisations of all sizes recognise the real risks of noncompliance. Yet the boundaries of copyright are not always clearly understood. What are the copyright guidelines -- and how can information centres manage them -- for web 2.0 content or free resources accessed via the web? A culture of digital sharing makes compliance even more difficult, but the stakes are high.

To help content licensors, users and vendors make more sense of the copyright landscape, FreePint has undertaken a significant two-phase research effort. Phase 1, begun in October 2009, focuses on understanding:

• How important is copyright risk management to information centres and managers?
• What tools and resources are they using to minimise risk and keep their teams in compliance?
• What tools are missing from their tool kits?
• What pressures keep copyright top-of-mind for them?
  
• How well do they think they do on maintaining copyright?
  

Participation in Phase 1 is actively sought -- information managers, CIO, knowledge managers, content licensing directors and information professionals responsible for copyright within their organisations are strongly encouraged to participate now>>

Participants will receive a copy of the published report as a thank-you for participating. In addition to the reported and analysed survey results, the report will feature articles and additional resources on managing copyright. All responses remain anonymous.

Phase 2 of this project will survey end users about their behaviours and interactions with copyrighted material. Again, anonymity is guaranteed. Potential participants are invited to complete a registration form to be notified when the survey is launched.

Invitations to participate will also be sent to VIP and FUMSI subscribers, ResourceShelf users, FreePint members and other organisations of interest.

About the Research

FreePint undertakes this project to support the entire information industry, starting with our subscribers and sponsors. Across its various publications and web sites, FreePint reaches 100,000 information professionals each month; these individuals hold the knoweldge of what emerging and future needs of the industry will be.

'Copyright is a topic that's come up in almost every customer conversation I've had in the past year', notes Robin Neidorf, General Manager of FreePint and the lead researcher for this project. 'There are so many grey areas in copyright compliance, particularly when we get into digital use, extraction, user-generated content and reuse of content. Information managers want answers and easier ways to help users comply. Vendors and content creators want to know what's happening with their content. This project is intended to help all the stakeholders understand what the real needs are, so that they can work together towards finding solutions.'

This project supported through the generous sponsorship of:

Digital content + sharing files + social media content + sharing passwords = RISK

Further Information:

Robin Neidorf, General Manager, Free Pint Limited

Tel: +1-612-392-2312 (direct; US)

Main office: +44 (0)870 141 7474 (UK)

E-mail: robin.neidorf@freepint.com

About Free Pint Limited

Free Pint Limited is a UK-based publisher of web sites and publications serving different niches within the global information industry. Its online imprints include:

FreePint: an online community of 79,000 practitioners around the world who find, use, manage and share work-related information.

FUMSI: practical tips, articles, reports and tool kits to help everyone in an organisation better Find, Use, Manage and Share Information.

VIP: a monthly PDF magazine and regular reports for senior-level managers who make purchasing decisions for information content products and services.

ResourceShelf: a daily update website with high-quality free web-based resources, including databases, multimedia and special collections.

DocuTicker: a daily update of full-text PDF reports published free on the web by government agencies, NGOs and other public interest groups.

Jinfo: an online database of information-related job vacancies and events.

Learn more about the FreePint Family and how FreePint can help.