Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

This papers provides an overview on the legal issues related to the reproduction of museum objects, by answering some questions, such as: Can photographing a museum object can lead to infringements of copyright law? What kind of reproductions requires the consent of the copyright owners? Can a museum make a copy of an object which is in danger of deterioration for preservation purposes? And what is the legal regulation for objects which are already fallen into the public domain? The research was conducted through a comparative method, taking into account not only the legal literature on copyright and the safeguarding of cultural goods, but also the case-law and the policies and procedures followed by the museums in matters of reproducing the objects they exposed, especially in the Italian system. This question analyzes, from a legal standpoint, the question of the reproducibility of a museum object which requires one to consider not only the institutional roles played by the museum, but also the needs of the visitors, in search of a balance between access to knowledge and the protection of copyright.