Hi Harry and other Indologists,
There was another thread about this topic recently but I am struggling to find the name of that thread. Forgive me for not being able to provide the link at this time.
I am by no means an expert on this matter, so someone else please correct me if I am mistaken... but as I understand it, the recent rulings specifically and exclusively pertain to copyrighted material that the IA has scanned itself and now offers on a "check out" basis to a single user at a time.
As I understand it, the ruling does not pertain to material on the IA that is NOT under copyright, material for which the copyright has lapsed, or material that has otherwise entered into public domain via any other avenue. As I understand it, these materials will remain as they are, freely available through IA -- no changes.
Am I interpreting this correctly?
In my usage of the IA, I have only ever used this "check out" function two times: for the Pedurma edition of the Kagyur/Tengyur and for a Pedurma edition of the Taranatha Sungbum. The vast majority of the sources I access on IA are in the public domain or otherwise not under copyright.
Of course, just because I have only used the "check out" function sparingly does not mean the same is true for others. I am curious about how often other Indologists on this listserv access copyrighted material on IA using the "check out" function? Do others foresee any major obstacles to their current research methods as a result of these court rulings?
Sincerely,
Westin Harris
Ph.D. Candidate
Study of Religion
University of California, Davis
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies
Sarva Mangalam.