Anarchy in the UK

An Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme

An analysis of the inconsistencies in UK museums’ copyright claims over digital reproductions of public domain works Introduction ​​In our online, globally connected era, cultural institutions are vital custodians of…

Published

Curiouser and curiouser: copyright and the public domain at the V&A

Furnishing fabric 'Alice in Wonderland' (detail) of roller-printed cotton chintz, designed by C. F. A. Voysey for Morton Sundour Fabric Ltd., Great Britain, ca. 1920.

The choices museums make about copyright as they digitise their collections have profound implications for public access.

Published

Schrödinger’s copyright

Author’s remix of The Battle of the Pictures, 1745. William Hogarth (1697-1764), Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0

Why are there so few open access museums in the UK?

Published

After THJ v Sheridan

How will the ruling in THJ v Sheridan on copyright and the threshold of originality in UK law affect cultural institutions?

Published

28 Vermeers

What does the Rijksmuseum’s landmark Vermeer exhibition tell us about museums, copyright and digital collections today? Vermeer is a major exhibition of the artist’s work at the Rijksmuseum that brings…

Published

Four years of the Open GLAM Survey

Fresh insight, important updates and new visualisations into the global picture of open access to cultural heritage

Published

Europeana and the Open GLAM Survey

''Miss Mission'' series by Robert Yarnall Richie, August 1944. DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, no known copyright restrictions.

Why aggregators matter and how a fresh look at Europeana changed the picture of open access to cultural heritage in Europe

Published

What’s the latest picture of Open GLAM?

As 2021 draws to a close, how many cultural institutions have adopted open access policies, and how have they done this? Here’s the latest picture.

Published

Emerson’s Nature and the commons

Emerson’s understanding of landscape and the public commons, and how they relate to museums and open access in the digital realm.

Published

Open Access and Art History in the 21st Century: The Case for Open GLAM

Flemish, The Prodigal Son Among the Courtisanes, ca. 1530

A key principle of Open GLAM is that works in the public domain should remain in the public domain once digitised. However, many museums assert copyright in digital reproductions of public domain artworks. How legally legitimate is this?

Published

The case for open access

Staying visible and relevant online is a pressing challenge for cultural heritage institutions

Published