x̄ - > Open Heritage: Key Challenges and Calls to Action

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Open Heritage: Challenges & Action

Legal, structural, and ethical barriers to equitable access — a summary of TAROCH’s global advocacy event.

By TAROCH & Creative Commons coalition

Open Heritage Statement

The meeting began with a presentation of the Open Heritage Statement, a foundational call to action advocating for the removal of unnecessary copyright, contractual, and technological barriers that restrict access to digital cultural heritage. This statement urges heritage institutions, governments, and copyright holders to prioritize openness, inclusivity, and accessibility so that history and culture can be freely explored and reused by all.

The statement emphasizes policy reform, improved licensing models, and technological investment to create a world where everyone can contribute to and benefit from shared human heritage—regardless of disability or socioeconomic background.

Legal Challenges

• New copyright is frequently granted over digitized versions of heritage content, even when the originals are in the public domain. This practice restricts the potential uses of digital copies and can limit education and research.
• Heritage protection laws often extend the term of copyright, delaying content from entering the public domain and impeding efforts to preserve or reinterpret cultural assets.
• There are widespread issues with wrongful copyright claims and the overextension of moral rights, which restrict legitimate access and reuse.
• The current legal framework lacks easy mechanisms for challenging incorrect copyright assertions, often leaving users, educators, and communities powerless to contest unjust restrictions.

Contractual & Technological Challenges

• Contracts issued by heritage institutions can undermine access by imposing restrictive terms or confusing attribution requirements.
• Technological barriers, such as outdated platforms or inaccessible resources, hinder users—especially those with disabilities—from participating fully in digital heritage.
• A lack of clear public domain marking creates uncertainty for users and discourages the creative use and sharing of heritage content.

Speakers called for modernization of digital infrastructure and the adoption of universal design principles to ensure heritage is accessible and usable by all communities.

Structural & Ethical Challenges

• The digital skills gap in many regions continues to create inequities in access to cultural heritage.
• High costs of accessing public domain content, and fragile infrastructure, are persistent barriers for educators, researchers, and local communities.
• Tension remains between standard copyright frameworks and Indigenous data governance, raising concerns about cultural appropriation and misrepresentation.

The coalition recognized a need for ethical stewardship of heritage, respectful engagement with Indigenous communities, and support for infrastructure so that local actors can participate in global heritage creation and advocacy.

Summary Overview

The meeting provided a cross-sectional view of barriers to open heritage and set forth a series of recommendations: strengthening legal mechanisms for contesting wrongful copyright claims, harmonizing heritage protection with open access policies, investing in accessibility technology, closing digital literacy gaps, and championing more inclusive, representative governance.

Discussion from TAROCH Coalition

In breakout sessions, coalition leaders posed urgent questions to attendees:

• How would an international instrument for equitable access to heritage benefit future generations in your region?
• What new community opportunities might emerge if heritage content is made widely and openly accessible?
• Why is equitable access to heritage especially important in your country, and what unique challenges exist locally?
• How can local heritage efforts align with and amplify global calls to action?

These reflective prompts sparked dynamic conversations and helped participants envision practical collaborations beyond the event.

Concluding Remarks

The meeting closed with remarks from Brigitte Vézina and Dee Harris of Creative Commons, underscoring the coalition’s commitment to actionable reform. Their reflections reinforced that open heritage requires not just legal and technical changes, but also a shift in values—from exclusivity to generosity, from barriers to bridges.

Attendees were invited to review and endorse the Open Heritage Statement, contribute to ongoing advocacy, and seek out partnership opportunities for education, policy innovation, and technical support.

This blog post presents highlights from the Creative Commons/TAROCH coalition event (October 2025). To join the movement, visit the Creative Commons advocacy site, participate in future meetings, or connect with your local heritage organization. Open heritage benefits everyone—help make it a reality.