Public Domain Day 2023

The public domain is the collection of all creative works that are no longer subject to exclusive intellectual property rights in the previous year, such as copyrights and other related rights. New works become available in the public domain every year in Belgium as copyright protection expires 70 years after the death of the author or artist. This legal status does not mean that materials become accessible automatically, however.

Public Domain Day draws global attention to legal, financial, technical and institutional barriers that can prevent the general public from accessing this content even after copyright protection expires. Public Domain Day can help you or your organisation find out about initiatives to make public domain collections accessible, and share your thoughts and ideas with other interested parties.

You’re welcome to join us in the ‘Royal Skyroom’ at KBR- the Royal Library of Belgium (Kunstberg 28, 1000 Brussels) on 15 February 2023 from 10am to 5pm. We’re splitting the day into two sessions, which you can register for separately. The slides will be presented in English, and the working language depends on the speaker (English, Dutch or French). In the morning session, we will explain all about heritage collections and copyrights, giving you all the information you need to determine the rights status of your content. Who knows, maybe this could even be your first step towards unlocking your own (partial) collection for Public Domain Day 2024? Then, in the afternoon session, you can attend presentations by a number of institutions, highlighting the public domain initiatives they have undertaken and looking in more detail at new developments in terms of policy and legislation.

Register here: https://meemoo.be/en/training-and-events/public-domain-day-2023.

This event is co-orgainzed by Meemoo, Ghent University Library,KBR- the Royal Library of Belgium, GhentCDH and Wikimedia Belgium.