FAIR (the campaign for Freedom of Access to Information and Resources) has announced Cooking for Copyright Day on Friday 31 July, using classic Aussie recipes for lamingtons, pavlovas, canteen biscuits and soldier cake tins to drive the copyright reform agenda.
The campaign focuses on the fact that in Australia copyright in published works lasts 70 years after the death of the creator, but for unpublished works, copyright lasts forever. This means old diaries, letters, photographs, even recipes are locked away.
National and State Libraries Australasia, the Australian War Memorial, University Libraries, Public Libraries, Archives and Historical Societies are all participating in the FAIR Cooking for Copyright campaign, developed by the Australian Library and Information Association in partnership with the Australian Libraries Copyright Committee.
Sue McKerracher, spokesperson for FAIR, and CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association, said, ‘We’d like the same copyright terms for unpublished works as for published works. Then our libraries, museums and historical societies could put these treasures on the web for family historians, researchers, and everyone else who is fascinated by our social history.’
FAIR has delved into library and museum collections across Australia and posted more than 20 handwritten recipes to its website – effectively contravening the current copyright law. It’s asking Australians to cook one of these recipes – or choose an old favourite – and post a photo to Facebook or tweet with the #cookingforcopyright hashtag.
Sue McKerracher again, ‘We will put all the images together, create a buzz on social media, and deliver them to the Attorney General, who has the unenviable task of unravelling the current copyright regime.’
