Copyright and the Ethics of Access in the Digital Humanities
When scholars publish online and artists load their work onto copyright-free platforms, who pays the rent?
This throwback-Thursday-on-a-Tuesday article was first written for my Bachelor of Philosophy course at Macquarie University. The issues raised have only grown in importance in the subsequent rise of AI large language models, most egregiously with Meta’s use of pirated works on the LibGen platform.
The internet has vastly expanded access to information across the globe. Instantaneous answers to questions, high quality news coverage, hours upon hours of streaming content, and for a research student like myself, access to journal articles, books and grey literature that previous generations could only dream about. There is a levelling that occurs with this openness of access. In times past, only those with significant means could afford to spend time scouring libraries, especially if that meant travelling beyond your city, state or country. Now, anyone with a device and internet signal can access petabytes of information to suit any particular interest.
Ho…
