Copyright and Digital Humanities

Posted on by Philip

Katie Fortney, copyright policy and education officer with the California Digital Library.Copyright law is one of the most complex issues people and governments face in the 21st century. This week we were joined by Katie Fortney, Copyright Policy and Education Officer with the California Digital Library, to help us navigate the ambiguous world of copyright infringement and fair use. She came to speak at UD last November to offer the audience a unique perspective into the field of digital humanities as both a lawyer and a librarian.

During our discussion, we talked about topics including  risk assessment, some of the more glaring flaws of the copyright system and some wishful thinking on how to fix them. She talked about her experience with the Grateful Dead Archive Online, and brought up other examples including Google Books and a case about journal-copying practices at Texaco. We also spent a lot of time discussing the details of the fair use exception to the US Copyright act; what it is, how to use it, and under what sort of circumstances it does and doesn’t apply. The interview certainly brings to light how the technicalities involved in copyright law can affect everything from entertainment to academia.

Listen to the Interview

Katie Fortney, California Digital Library.
28:53
27.7 MB

About Our Guest

Katie Fortney is the Copyright Policy and Education Officer from the California Digital Library, serving all the campuses of the University of California system. She is an expert in digital special collections risk management, copyright education, and national/international copyright and scholarly communication legislation and policy issues. She also keeps an eye on the UC Faculty Open Access Policy effort as well as national and international copyright policy initiatives and consortia. Katie received her M.L.I.S from San Jose State University and her J.D. degree from New York University.

Learn More