>> Policy Statements Copyright Statement BALANCE We believe in fairness and balance in the provision of access to digital works on the network; a balance between the rights of copyright owners and the public interest in broad access to cultural resources; a balance between our rights and responsibilities both as users of digital material and as creators or owners of such material. Furthermore, we believe that an essential part of the system of access to cultural material is payment to the owners of copyright material in the form of profit or cost recovery. However, the "fair use" of copyrighted material for educational and other permitted activity, as well as other limitations and exemptions to the rights of copyright owners, is in the public interest and should be guaranteed in the digital environment. COPYRIGHT LAW We believe that copyright law, with its traditional balance between a guarantee of rights on the one hand and exemptions and limitations to those rights on the other, is a critical tool to achieve equitable access to cultural heritage information. Copyright law is the primary mechanism we have to safeguard the balance between private interest and public good. FAIR USE We believe that the fair use exemption to copyright was and should continue to be an essential element of copyright law. Fair use, in enabling broad access to copyrighted works for educational purposes, fosters creativity and furthers the goal of copyright to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts." PUBLIC DOMAIN We believe that equitable access to a robust and well-maintained public domain of our cultural heritage is essential to the public good and the health of the cultural life of this nation and all nations. PRESERVATION We believe that access to digital cultural heritage resources should be ensured through continued, active preservation of such material, as well as through preserving its original form wherever possible. AUTHENTICITY AND INTEGRITY OF MATERIAL We believe that both the stewards and users of digital cultural heritage resources should do all that is necessary to ensure that cultural digital objects are authentic and retain their integrity. PRIVACY We believe that respect for personal privacy should be incorporated into access and management systems for the control and tracking of networked copyright material. November 1998