Activists launch online copyright database

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and others hope to raise awareness of copyright laws

A number of advocacy groups are teaming up for the launch of a new copyright database.

The new Copyright Watch site is slated to serve as a reference base for users on copyright laws around the world. Among the groups participating in the effort are the US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Electronic Information for Libraries.

By providing clear explanations of local and international copyright laws, the groups hope to keep users from running foul of regulations and avoiding suits from copyright holders.

The groups hope that the new site will serve as a single destination for users looking to obtain information on copyright laws both within their own countries and in locations around the world.

"Details of copyright law used to be important only for a few people in creative industries," said EFF international outreach co-ordinator Danny O'Brien.

"But now, with the growth of the internet and other digital tools, we are all authors, publishers and sharers of copyrighted works."

Additionally, the groups hope that the site can highlight the differences in copyright laws around the world. and help push lawmakers to reassess copyright laws which may be overly restrictive or at odds with others around the world.