Opinions of the Finnish Public on the Copyright System

Cupore conducted a research project on public perceptions on the operation of the copyright system in 2019–2020. The focus of the study was on the use of creative content in the digital environment. In the digital sphere, the general public has increasingly taken different roles not just as end-users, but also as intermediaries and creators of works. The project resulted in a report Suomalaisten näkemykset tekijänoikeusjärjestelmästä (in Finnish) published in 2020.

The purpose of this fact booklet is to present the most important findings of this study in a short and accessible format. The booklet covers the following themes:

• The use of copyrighted content in the digital environment
• Copyright knowledge of the Finns
• Unauthorized use of copyrighted content
• Motives for the unauthorized use
• Follow-on creation based on pre-existing works
• Perceptions and opinions on the copyright system
• The way forward: conclusions and recommendations

Tiina Kautio, Katja Oksanen-Särelä & Nathalie Lefever 2020. Opinions of the Finnish Public on the Copyright System. Cupore Fact Booklet 4. Center for Cultural Policy Research.

The fact booklet is also available in Finnish.

Since 2018 Cupore has been assessing the operation of the Finnish copyright system on the basis of annually changing themes. The study at hand is a part of this continuous assessment work, which is based on a methodological framework developed at Cupore.