ABSTRACT
The evolution of Web 1.0 into the participatory Web 2.0, alongside the emergence of a wide array of new technologies which have facilitated the creation and dissemination of content by users, have given rise to the massive phenomenon of ‘user-generated content’ (UGC). As UGC builds on pre-existing copyrighted material, there is a need to reconcile the rights of copyright holders in their works with the freedom of expression of users, who regard – non-commercial – UGC as a vehicle to express themselves and to participate in the digital culture.
Against this backdrop, this thesis explores how copyright exceptions & limitations in three jurisdictions – the EU, Canada, and the US – attempt to strike the appropriate balance between the aforementioned competing rights and interests. Ultimately, it seeks to provide a viable solution to the UGC conundrum in the EU, whose current framework of copyright exceptions & limitations appears to be the least capable of accommodating a wide range of UGC.
Mavrou, Styliani, A Comparative Perspective on Non-Commercial User-Generated Content and Exceptions to Copyright: Should the EU Step Up its Game? (August 31, 2021).
First posted 2022-06-21 09:00:47
Leave a Reply