Copyright Regulations and Reprographic Service
Among the issues regulated in the Copyright Act are the rights of libraries to prepare various types of reproductions of copyrighted materials for transmission to their customers.
What is material subject to copyright?
With certain exceptions, copyright legislation applies to all published or unpublished materials in the National Library of Finland's collections for which 70 years or less have elapsed since the author's year of death (Copyright Act, Section 43).
In a publication whose author is not mentioned, the copyright is valid until 70 years have elapsed from the work's date of publication (Copyright Act, Section 44).
Copyright legislation does not apply to laws, statutes and other similar decisions rendered by public officials; these may therefore be freely reproduced.
When can photocopies and photographs be made by order?
A library has the right to prepare photocopies, or reproductions by other similar reprographic methods, of copyrighted materials for its customers only when
a. the reproductions are intended for personal use (not, for example, for companies, institutions, official use, the communications media and other similar parties) or
b. the reproductions represent only short parts of the work (for example, individual articles from a periodical or anthology), not an entire work.
When can digitised copies be made by order?
The Library is not allowed to prepare or furnish digitised copies of copyright-protected materials to its customers (Copyright Act, Section 16a). Their preparation is only possible only when the customer has received advance permission from the copyright owner. In that case the customer must also sign a commitment form concerning the replication of copyright-protected materials.
The National Library can however, in conjunction with its Interlibrary Services, prepare and transmit digitised PDF reproductions to an ordering library that in this case will print out a paper copy for its customer and then delete the file.
Digitised images are prepared without licensing procedures only for materials whose copyrights have expired.
When is self-service copying possible?
According to Section 12 of the Copyright Act, anyone has the right to make a few copies of copyright-protected published materials, provided it is for his or her private use (an exception however being, for example, software programs). A customer can also make these copies at a library and with the library's equipment. Because no limitations have been set regarding the copies' technical reproduction techniques, digital photography performed by customers themselves, or the preparation of the reproductions using the Library's microfilm scanners, is possible.
Preparation of reproductions from electronic online materials
The terms of use for the Library's provision of online materials is specified separately in a use agreement for each item.
Generally
it is possible to make paper printouts or floppy disc copies of search
results, or of reasonable excerpts and sections of e-books. This is
allowed only for academic or research use, not for commercial purposes.
The
customer is not allowed to print or store whole works, distribute, sell
or modify the materials, or republish them in any form.
The
above regulations concerning the preparation of photocopies and digital
images also apply to the ordering of reproductions of electronic online
materials.
