Fears copyright could be orphaned

A new law in the UK nicknamed the ‘Instagram act’ could see copyright lost on orphaned works.
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A new law in the UK nicknamed the ‘Instagram act’ could see copyright lost on orphaned works.

The new law enacted last week and called the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act, could have gross implications for online works where an author cannot be identified.

Intended to ease restrictions on orphaned works, which are works with no traceable authors, many are concerned that it will allow companies to seek out and use images for commercial purposes.

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Sarah Adams
About the Author
Sarah Adams is a media, film and television junkie. She is the former deputy editor of ArtsHub Australia and now works in digital communications - telling research stories across multiple platforms - in the higher education sector. Follow her @sezadams