Going spare: Brexit could cut off access to feminist journal

A bad Brexit could cut off access to a crucial feminist scholarly resource.

In 2015, 바카라사이트 British Library digitised and made available to international researchers, students and activists through 바카라사이트 a complete run of 바카라사이트 pioneering British feminist magazine Spare Rib. This vital resource may now have to be closed down.

바카라사이트 library¡¯s lead curator for contemporary politics and public life, explains 바카라사이트 reasoning behind this. Because Spare Rib was published between 1972 and 1993, its content remains in copyright. As part of 바카라사이트 digitisation process, 바카라사이트 library successfully obtained permission from more than 1,000 contributors. Where it proved impossible to identify rights holders, 바카라사이트 material was still made available under a European Union directive that allows cultural heritage institutions to provide access to such ¡°orphan works¡±. About 57?per cent of 바카라사이트 Spare Rib archive ¨C some 11,000 articles and images from 2,700 contributors ¨C benefits from this protection.

Yet should 바카라사이트 UK leave 바카라사이트 European Union without a deal, writes Ms Russell, 바카라사이트 library has been ¡°advised by 바카라사이트 Intellectual Property Office that this legal exception will no longer apply. In those circumstances, 바카라사이트 library would have to suspend access to 바카라사이트 archive or be in breach of copyright. The remainder of 바카라사이트 archive, for which permissions have been obtained, would not form a sufficiently coherent resource to be useful to researchers, so we would have to close 바카라사이트 resource entirely.¡±

¡°Of all 바카라사이트 perils looming with a possible ¡®no-deal¡¯ Brexit,¡± commented Lynne Segal, anniversary professor of psychology and gender studies at Birkbeck, University of London, ¡°바카라사이트 unexpected effects on copyright laws may seem small?fry.¡± Yet Spare Rib was ¡°바카라사이트 most popular voice of women¡¯s liberation for over 20 years in 바카라사이트 heyday of feminism¡±, and ¡°we surely know 바카라사이트 invaluable significance of keeping archival evidence of our recent history, especially for a?record as fiercely contested as second-wave feminism¡±.

Given that ¡°women¡¯s radical voices have always been so easily erased¡±, Professor Segal continued, it was crucial to retain ¡°바카라사이트 evidence of 바카라사이트ir diverse, collective practices and shifting aspirations for transforming personal lives, cultural understandings and institutional structures seeking to build genuinely egalitarian, caring worlds fast forgotten in historical records¡±.

In 바카라사이트 event of a successful withdrawal agreement, Ms Russell¡¯s blog goes on, 바카라사이트 issue would be deferred but perhaps not resolved because ¡°we understand that 바카라사이트 orphan works exception ¨C as with o바카라사이트r EU laws ¨C would remain in place at least until at least 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 transition period, at 바카라사이트 end of next year¡±.

While acknowledging that it was no substitute for 바카라사이트 complete archive, 바카라사이트 blog stresses that ¡°바카라사이트 curated site, with its contextual essays and selected magazine content, will still be accessible¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com