European libraries are allowed to digitize books without the consent of the rights holder, the senior advisor to Europe’s top court said June 5. The European Copyright Directive does not prevent the digitization of books in a library’s collection if those books are made accessible to the public on dedicated terminals, wrote Advocate General Niilo Jääskinen in a formal opinion (PDF file) to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The directive only permits libraries to digitize individual works, not complete collections, and does not permit downloading by users….
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2360380/libraries-can-digitize-books-without-consent-says-top-eu-court-advisor.html
