Inside the Archive #78: Getting to grips with copyright

Copyright can sometimes feel like the thing that stands between collections and audiences. Yet throughout the BFI Copyright Conference, hosted at BFI Southbank earlier this year, speakers showed that it can also be a tool for opening up access, supporting preservation, and enabling new research. Bringing together archivists, rights specialists, researchers, technologists, and collection managers, the day explored the practical realities of working with copyright in screen heritage collections.

Revisit the presentations that were delivered throughout the day – and learn more about the wonderful world of copyright – with the following videos that capture the range of topics discussed during the conference.

Films and moving image works are built from multiple layers of copyright, making access and preservation decisions increasingly complex. Annie Shaw (BFI) reflects on how the BFI developed new approaches to collect rights information at the point of acquisition, creating more structured copyright data to support access, risk assessment, and the long-term management of contemporary screen heritage collections.

What happens when fifty years of collecting history meets modern copyright challenges? Drawing on the experience of Scotland’s national moving image archive, Kay Foubister (National Library of Scotland) explores the evolution of rights documentation, the complexities of managing legacy collections, and the ongoing work required to improve copyright data in support of preservation, access and reuse.

How can archives provide online access to vast film collections when copyright ownership is often unclear? Using the Bundesarchiv’s five-year rights clearance programme as a case study, Dr Adelheid Heftberger of the Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) examines the shift from rights monetisation to access, the role of risk assessment in copyright decision-making, and how the EU’s out-of-commerce works regime has helped unlock thousands of films for public use.

Can copyright information be made as easy to understand as a traffic light? In this presentation, Kay Page (FOCAL) describes a practical framework for translating complex rights assessments into clear, actionable guidance. By simplifying decision-making while retaining the legal detail behind the scenes, the approach offers a way to help archives, rights teams and users navigate access, risk and reuse more efficiently.

How should copyright information be structured within collection management systems? Combining theory with practical examples from the BFI, Nic Regan (BFI) and Rob Scott (Axiell) consider how thoughtful data modelling, system design and user experience can transform rights information from scattered records into a powerful tool for access, decision-making and collections management.

Behind every cultural collection lies a simple but powerful question: what can we do with it? Dr Bartolomeo Meletti (University of Glasgow/CREATe) explores the project Unlocking Cultural Data: Legal Infrastructure for a Smart Open Research Ecosystem, which aims to answer that question by turning complex copyright data into practical digital tools, helping archives open up collections, support research and make cultural heritage more accessible.

Using the 2008 restoration of Pandora’s Box (1929) as a case study, Dr Claudy Op den Kamp of Bournemouth University and CIPPM traces the complex relationship between film restoration and intellectual property. Reflecting on the challenges of reconstructing a film from multiple surviving copies, it examines how concepts such as originals, copies and versions shape our understanding of authenticity, copyright and access to film heritage.

Closing the symposium, Louise McAward-White and Annie Shaw (BFI) reflected on the vital role of rights data in supporting access, preservation and digitisation across screen heritage collections. Emphasising collaboration, pragmatism and the human decisions behind every rights record, the session highlighted the importance of working together to build sustainable approaches to copyright management for the future.

One of the most striking themes to emerge from the day was that copyright is rarely about certainty. Instead, it is often about judgement, evidence, collaboration and making informed decisions with the information available. Whether discussing rights clearance, public domain works, data models, access platforms or new technological approaches, speakers repeatedly returned to the importance of good rights data, clear processes and a willingness to work together across institutions and disciplines.

What also came through strongly was the generosity of the screen heritage community. The challenges may be complex, but the conversations throughout the day showed a sector eager to share experiences, learn from one another and develop practical solutions. If there was a single takeaway, it is that rights management is not simply a legal exercise. It is a fundamental part of ensuring that our audiovisual heritage can be preserved, understood and shared. The discussions started here will undoubtedly continue, and the enthusiasm in the room suggests this is only the beginning of a much wider conversation.

– Annie Shaw, Rights, Research and Data Manager

The Inside the Archive blog is supported by the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery Good Cause funding.