On 21 February 2020, meemoo, Wikimedia Belgium and the Royal Library of Belgium organised a special study day in Brussels in celebration of Public Domain Day. Pascal Ennaert (Vlaamse Kunstcollectie) introduced the activities of VKC as a service organisation supporting Flemish museums with image and data management, focussing on three layers: the content layer, exchange layer and reuse layer. He also introduced some important steps in managing and sharing data and images, a.o. the ‘information policy plan’, standardisation and enrichment of metadata, and a layered licensing model. However, opening up digital heritage collections is not only a technical challenge. With regard to Public Domain Day's theme, Pascal Ennaert pointed out the legal challenges he encountered while gathering digital surrogates from various heritage institutions around the world for their online exhibitions on the oeuvre of James Ensor and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, both of which are in the public domain. While gathering them from a collection of international heritage institutions, Ennaert was confronted with a whole spectrum of inconsistent rights statement practices ranging from unclear, contradictory to plain wrong. With this overview, he made it clear that copyright remains sometimes poorly understood and applied by heritage institutions and that the need for revenue-generation is making it hard for institutions to open up their digital collections in a way which is consistent with their legal status. Placed in a broader context, many Belgian museums aren’t doing so badly with regard to rights statement practices. The presentation ended with some examples of good practices in using works in the public domain.

1. Museums and public domain
A disruptive story …
Pascal Ennaert
Coordinator Flemish Art Collection

3. Service organization subsidized by the Flemish
governement: role ‘Image and data policy in
Flemish museums’
Open data >
Open images >
Open source >

5. James Ensor (Belgian, 1860 - 1949), Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889, 1888, Oil on canvas, 252.7 × 430.5 cm, 87.PA.96,
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
©

6. James Ensor (Belgian, 1860 - 1949), Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889, 1888, Oil on canvas, 252.7 × 430.5 cm, 87.PA.96,
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

7. James Ensor (Belgian, 1860 - 1949), Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889, 1888, Oil on canvas, 252.7 × 430.5 cm, 87.PA.96,
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

9. CC-BY-NC-ND
Sint-Baafskathedraal Gent
www.lukasweb.be
Fotograaf: Dominique Provoost

10. Old-school museums
Images =

15. We’ve asked pictures from 44 museums or institutions.
We’ve got 22 different kinds of copyright-indications.
Only 5 museums delivered CC 0 or public domain
#
museums
Copyright indication #
museums
Copyright indication
1 © Museum, Artist, Title 2 CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 © Museum
2 © Museum, Photographer 1 CC BY-SA 4.0
4 © Museum 7 Did not deliver pictures for our website yet …
1 ©Museum (free access – rights reserved) 1 Instelling, Fotograaf
5 CC 0 2 Instellingswebsite
1 CC BY 1 Instelling, Registratienummer
1 CC BY-NC 1 Instelling © Beeldenleverancier, Fotograaf
1 CC BY-NC © Museum, Collection, City 1 Instelling, Deelcollectie, Fotograaf
5 CC BY-NC-ND 1 Instelling
1 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 1 Moederorganisatie (universiteit)
1
CC BY-NC-ND © Museum 1 Publiek Domein, Moederorganisatie, Instelling,
Fotograaf
1 CC BY-NC-SA © Museum, Photographer 1 Publiek Domein, Instelling, Fotograaf

16. Museum Copyright Indication Interpretation?
KMSKA CC 0 Public Domain
Koninklijke Musea voor Schone
Kunsten België
Gaven vooralsnog geen foto’s vrij voor
de website
???
KBR KBR - Prentenkabinet - S II 113, folio c Public Domain, voluntary
attribution
Groeningemuseum Musea Brugge © www.lukasweb.be -
Art in Flanders vzw, foto Dominique
Provost
Temporary loyalty to Lukas-
notification but subscribed to the
CC0/Public Domain Vision from
the Flemish Art Collection
Museum Plantin-Moretus Public Domain; Collectie Stad
Antwerpen, Museum Plantin-Moretus,
foto: Bart Huysmans & Michel Wuyts
Public Domain, voluntary
attribution
Museum Mayer van den Bergh Public domain; Museum Mayer van den
Bergh, photo: KIK-IRPA
Public Domain, voluntary
attribution
Belgian museums are doing quite well!

17. Old-school museums
Images =

18. Old-school museums

19. Disruptive statements …
Different version of Vermeer's Milkmaid as found on
Google Image search in 2013. By Joris Pekel (CC0)

20. https://displayatyourownrisk.org/

21. http://clipart-library.com/clipart/piqKRXabT.htm

23. https://jhna.org/articles/phaeton-exploration-and-resources/
by E. Melanie Gifford
IIIF-Outreach Activity:
GIVE YOUR IMAGES ALL OPPORTUNITIES
Vision and practice day
April, 30 th, 9h30 – 17h
Van de Velde-Zaal Boekentoren Ugent
Interfacultair Studiecentrum Vandenhove
Organising partners: Flemish Art Collection,
meemoo, UGent en the Bruges Public Library

28. http://arthubensor.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/

35. -

36. Museums and public domain
A disruptive story …
with a happy end
Pascal Ennaert
Coordinator Flemish Art Collection