The BnL commits to better access to information on out-of-commerce works Open letter to the EUIPO

The National Library has just co-signed an open letter addressed to the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office), which manages the European database of out-of-commerce works. This database enables heritage institutions such as the BnL to optimise their copyright clearance, digitisation and online publication processes.

The open letter outlines the concerns shared by the BnL and its co-signatories, which include representatives of publishers, rights management organisations and the library associations Federation of European Publishers (FEP-FEE), the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

The letter raises a number of critical points, mainly concerning the operation of the EUIPO portal, including technical limitations hampering the declaration of works by cultural institutions, authentication and opt-out procedures for rights holders, and the lack of a functional API, which is detrimental to the automation of data exchanges. In addition, the missive urges the EUIPO to allocate more resources to the optimisation and long-term development of the portal.

The BnL, as a major player in the preservation and dissemination of culture in Luxembourg, reaffirms its commitment to facilitating access to works that are no longer commercially available.