How “open” are Australian museums? A review through the lens of copyright governance

Abstract

Museums are increasingly employing innovative digital techniques to curate, link, and market collections, enabling new kinds of public engagement to better connect with popular culture. By embracing contemporary modes of delivery to open access to their collections, museums are signalling a drive toward greater democratisation of knowledge and information through increased interaction and accessibility. Yet with this has come a series of copyright and legal complexities. This paper reviews current copyright barriers for museums in Australia and examines how international examples offer potential models and ways forward. The authors conclude that recent copyright modernisation reviews offer the museum sector an opportunity to restructure its strategies. As online formats evolve, there is an urgent need to explore how amendments to copyright laws in some countries have allowed for more fair and flexible use of cultural artefacts and orphan works.