The joint action was motivated by ambiguous wording used in the directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market that is being discussed by a Parliamentary Committee formed by around 300 MEPs, to whom the letter is addressed.

You can read the joint letter here.

While acknowledging the necessity of updating copyright regulation in the EU and the exceptions made in the current proposal for educational use of copyrighted materials, the letter states;

“The complexities of copyright law make it unclear what educators and learners can do with materials, which has a negative impact on the quality of education, limiting both educational collaboration and access to inclusive, fair education for all. “

We at EAVI strongly support the statements in the letter. Education has changed greatly in recent years and it is important for educators in all settings; formal, non-formal and informal, to be able to maintain autonomy whilst being able to collaborate across borders and employ the use of digital technologies in order to maintain relevance in their fields and achieve the best outcomes for their students.

EAVI, together with the other signatories, urges for a revision of the draft that is currently being screen at the Parliament in order to achieve a better harmonisation and a clearer, more inclusive and digital-friendly legislation.

You can read the full letter with the link above, however in brief the letter advocates for;

a) The removal of reference to licences in the exception for education

b) We propose that the beneficiaries of the exception will be broadened to include all persons and entities providing an educational activity

c) We recommend that the Commission removes the artificial barrier between digital resources and printed paper for educational purposes to enable much needed clarity for educators and learners on all acts and materials needed for education

Read the full list of the letter’s supporters below:

• Alliance for Open Education
• Associação Ensino Livre
• Association for Technology and Internet
• Centrul Pentru Inovare Publica
• Centrum Cyfrowe
• Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej
• COMMUNIA
• Creative Common Austria
• Creative Commons
• Creative Commons Portugal
• Electronic Information for Libraries
• EUROCLIO
• European Bureau of Library Information and Documentation Associations
• European University Association
• Europeana
• Fairkom Association
• Intellectual Property Institute, Slovenia
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
• Kennisland
• Koalicja Otwartej Edukacji
• Leuphana University of Lüneburg
• LIBER
• Media and Learning Association
• Muzeum Historii Polski
• Nexa Center for Internet & Society
• Open Education Working Group, Open Knowledge International
• Open Technologies Alliance-GFOSS
• Państwowe Muzeum Etnograficzne w Warszawie
• PL2020
• Szkoła z klasą (Poland)
• The European Association for Viewers Interests
• The European Multiple MOOC Aggregator (EMMA)
• The Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance
• Wikimedia UK

And the following individuals:

• André Isidoro Fernandes Esteves, Portugal
• Chris Morrison, Copyright and Licensing Compliance Officer, University of Kent, UK
• David Anderson-Evans, Chair, UUK-Guild HE Copyright Working Group, UK
• David Farley, University Librarian, University of Winchester, UK
• Dr Guido Noto La Diega
• Dr Maja Bogataj Jančič, LL.M., LL.M.
• Hans Põldoja, Estonia
• Inga-Lill Nilson, Sweden
• Jane Secker, Copyright and Digital Literacy Advisor, LSE, UK
• Kate Vasili, Copyright Officer, Middlesex University, UK
• Marcos Daniel Marado Torres, Portugal,
• Mart Laanpere, Estonia
• Monique Ritchie, Research Librarian and Copyright Officer, Brunel University London, UK
• Paula Simões, Portugal
• Peter Suber, Harvard University
• Ralph Weedon, Information Governance and Compliance Manager, University of Strathclyde, UK
• Teemu Leinonen, Finland