Photocopying rights and wrongs: a librarian's view

Controversy was aroused by the Whitford Report of 1977. Library professional bodies and others argued strongly against the Report and recommended alternative approaches to cover multiple copying. In respect of photocopying, the Whitford Report recommended ‘blanket licensing to cater for all user requirements for facsimile copies’ with payment of royalties to collecting societies for distribution to copyright owners. The licensing scheme envisaged would remove the right of an individual to the ‘fair dealing’ single copies which are allowed without royalties by the 1956 Copyright Act, though private researchers or students would be permitted to make their own manuscript copies. Owners of coin‐operated machines would require a special licence and responsibility for infringement would be transferred from the individual user to the machine owner.