EFF mapping copyright systems all over the world

The digital civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation has participated in an ambitious project: creating an overview of copyright systems in all countries of the world. The project is called Copyright Watch and can be accessed here.

The EFF embarks on this project in cooperation with copyright monitors, academics and libraries from all over the globe. It is primarily funded by the Open Society Institute.

Copyright systems vary greatly across the globe. The United States has one of the most elaborate systems, spanning over 130.000 words or roughly 2600 pages of copyright legislation. The shortest the project found so far is Afghanistan’s copyright, which is virtually non-existent.

The goal of Copyright Watch is not only to create an open catalogue of copyright systems as they are in use in different countries, but also to map and track changes so new trends in legislation can be identified and, if necessary, acted upon. Action to preserve and stimulate civil liberties is, of course, the goal of the EFF.

Copyright Watch will have their work cut out for them, as copyright systems are likely to evolve significantly to deal with the challenges posed by the online environment.