The International Guide to Legal Deposit

First published in 1991, this volume aims to take a close look at the laws of 27 countries to locate what others value in the realm of legal deposit and heighten our awareness of its importance for free access to information. It responds to the great concern over the freedom of the press, the end of censorship and absolute government secrecy, and guaranteed public access to information. The term ‘legal deposit’, known in the UK and several former-British Empire countries as ‘copyright deposit’, originated in France in 1537 and has spread throughout the world, though the definition of the term remains questionable. Jan T. Jasion examines this through three parts: various aspects of legal deposit, comparing legal deposit worldwide and a detailed examination of the laws of 27 countries to compare the various national interpretations of legal deposit.