The right to fair dealing and to copyright waivers for education hangs in the balance after internal divisions delayed a vote in the European Parliament this week.
The parliament is due to vote in a fortnight on draft legislation intended to harmonise copyright law in Europe, incorporating an international agreement on material published electronically.
The 200 amendments tabled by the legal affairs committee have thrown this into confusion, delaying a crucial vote. If they are carried, the right to copy limited amounts of material for study, teaching and research will be scrapped, along with a list of exceptions to copyright laws.
Frank Harris, chairman of the Education Copyright Users Forum, said this would lead to spiralling costs and "education just couldn't bear the burden".
Teresa Hackett, director of the European Bureau of Library Information and Document Associations, said: "If the wishes of some MEPs become law, rights holders will have exclusive monopoly rights in the online world and users will be faced with technical blocks preventing access to and use of information, film and music." This could mean Open University students would have to pay to record study programs broadcast overnight.
However, Peter Shepherd, chief executive of the Copyright Licensing Authority, said the list of exceptions would be longer. "Libraries will be empowered by the legislation to scan works into databases and make the information freely available."
- United Kingdom licensees have complained that academic publisher Routledge increased its copyright fees without notice.