Libraries, Copyright Exceptions, and Social Justice

Libraries in the United States promote social justice by preserving and providing the public with free, equitable access to information. Libraries can provide this free access only because of exceptions and limitations in the U.S. Copyright Act such as the first sale doctrine, the fair use right, and the safe harbors for providers of online services. As a result of these exceptions and limitations, Americans at every social-economic level of our society enjoy access to the know- ledge contained in millions of copyrighted works, and they use that knowledge to improve their daily lives and to enhance their participation in and contributions to civil society. This chapter explores the importance of these exceptions and limitations, particularly in the modern remote information society, to the pursuit of the precepts of equitable access, inclusion, and empower- ment in the fulfillment of libraries’ social justice mission.

Band, J., & Butler, B. (2024). Libraries, Copyright Exceptions, and Social Justice. In S. Jamar & L. Mtima (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Intellectual Property and Social Justice (Cambridge Law Handbooks, pp. 362-379). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108697613.024