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The real question here is how the heck does Amazon have a deal with the National Archives that prevents that public body from distributing public domain content

by rhplus 8y ago

The real question here is how the heck does Amazon have a deal with the National Archives that prevents that public body from distributing public domain content that it now holds in its archive? Is this typical for digitally archived content?

rrix2 8y ago
Ancestry.com has a similar agreement with the National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/files/digitization/pdf/ancestry-2015-agreement.pdf https://www.archives.gov/files/digitization/pdf/ancestry-201... Five year embargo on the National Archive releasing whatever Ancestry chooses to digitise and host on their proprietary database. This model of digitzation appears to be the principle way that the records are digitized now: https://www.archives.gov/digitization/principles.html https://www.archives.gov/digitization/principles.html
simonh 8y ago
The National Archive doesn't have the resources to digitize the material, but Amazon does. If the National Archive isn't interested in having the material digitized for them, nobody is forcing them to do a deal.
sudhirj 8y ago
Think the Archives have the film reels, strips, which you're free to go look at and copy whenever you want. Amazon paid to digitize them and put them on the DVDs, so Amazon gets to make the rules for the DVDs. I assume the film is still around in boxes, so event he DVD window drops someone is still free to go digitize them again, but given how fragile film is that's touch and go.
Spooky23 8y ago
It is done when the digitization is done in exchange. Archives preserve and disseminate. Budgets usually make this a challenge. They probably (rightly) view the preservation of content on decaying media as a big win.
Sir_Cmpwn 8y ago
I think the main takeaway here is that we (citizens) should be volunteering to digitize material for the National Archives.
sjburt 8y ago
National Archives had them undigitized. Amazon said it would digitize it and sell the digital copies until it recouped the investment to digitize them, and then National Archives could distribute the digital copies. It's no different than if you went to the National Archives and scanned something; you would not be required to distribute the scanned version. However, apparently part of the deal was that the National Archives would get a digital copy that they could lend to researchers on-site. So this individual wants to copy those digital versions, piggybacking off Amazon's efforts. He/She's probably allowed to since they are public domain.

by rhplus 8y ago

rrix2 8y ago

Ancestry.com has a similar agreement with the National Archive: https://www.archives.gov/files/digitization/pdf/ancestry-2015-agreement.pdf https://www.archives.gov/files/digitization/pdf/ancestry-201... Five year embargo on the National Archive releasing whatever Ancestry chooses to digitise and host on their proprietary database. This model of digitzation appears to be the principle way that the records are digitized now: https://www.archives.gov/digitization/principles.html https://www.archives.gov/digitization/principles.html

simonh 8y ago

The National Archive doesn't have the resources to digitize the material, but Amazon does. If the National Archive isn't interested in having the material digitized for them, nobody is forcing them to do a deal.

sudhirj 8y ago

Think the Archives have the film reels, strips, which you're free to go look at and copy whenever you want. Amazon paid to digitize them and put them on the DVDs, so Amazon gets to make the rules for the DVDs. I assume the film is still around in boxes, so event he DVD window drops someone is still free to go digitize them again, but given how fragile film is that's touch and go.

Spooky23 8y ago

It is done when the digitization is done in exchange. Archives preserve and disseminate. Budgets usually make this a challenge. They probably (rightly) view the preservation of content on decaying media as a big win.

Sir_Cmpwn 8y ago

I think the main takeaway here is that we (citizens) should be volunteering to digitize material for the National Archives.

sjburt 8y ago

National Archives had them undigitized. Amazon said it would digitize it and sell the digital copies until it recouped the investment to digitize them, and then National Archives could distribute the digital copies. It's no different than if you went to the National Archives and scanned something; you would not be required to distribute the scanned version. However, apparently part of the deal was that the National Archives would get a digital copy that they could lend to researchers on-site. So this individual wants to copy those digital versions, piggybacking off Amazon's efforts. He/She's probably allowed to since they are public domain.