"Orphan works," which are works where the copyright holder is unknown or cannot be located, pose a significant challenge to the digitization and dissemination of cultural heritage material worldwide. This issue has been a priority on the copyright agenda of legislators for over a decade, leading to the EU Orphan Works Directive of 2012 and the UK Orphan Works Licensing Scheme of 2014. These laws allow cultural institutions to use certain orphan works in their collections (e.g., books, films, sound recordings). However, to determine if a work is an orphan, institutions must conduct a "diligent search" for potential rights holders. This process requires substantial effort in terms of time and expertise, which is why the directive has not fully resolved the orphan works problem.
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