Rights v. Rights – when copying is not copying

Rights v. Rights may be slightly dated, but it\’s still worth a read. From the 64th IFLA General Conference, in 1998, \”This paper highlights the copyright barriers that can arise for visually impaired readers in the context of the \”Information Society\”. It starts by enunciating certain basic rights which set the backcloth for the ensuing discussion. The historical setting of the pre-electronic era is briefly described. Recent ground-breaking legislation is then summarised. The author then details some of the new copyright issues posed as a result of the opportunities opened up by information technology. Finally, the paper reviews some of the ways in which legislators have begun to address these new questions.