Copyright Evidence
online encyclopedia on copyright
Copyright Evidence is an English language wiki encyclopedia of empirical studies on copyright. The website categorises legal studies on copyright through open collaboration and the use of wiki-based editing system MediaWiki. It exists to inform the public and policy development based on evidence. It was set up and run by CREATe at the University of Glasgow.
History
Copyright Evidence was established in 2014 by Theo Koutmeridis, Kris Erickson, and Martin Kretschmer, as a project undertaken by the CREATe research centre. The project aims to be a consolidated and interdisciplinary “central source” for evidence-based copyright studies, where users can examine findings and methodology transparently.
An editorial board was established in December 2017, which included the appointment of a sub-editor responsible for growing the existing base of studies.
Methodology
Initial studies eligible for Copyright Evidence were identified using a snowball sampling methodology, beginning with a literature review by Watson, Zizzo and Fleming. Thereafter: 103 working papers and pre-prints were identified through the SSRN e-journal Intellectual Property: Empirical Studies (published between November 1996 and July 2015); 81 studies via literature reviews by Handke, Kretschmer, and Kheria; and 50 governmental reports as proposed by CREATe doctoral candidates.
Ongoing growth of Copyright Evidence is achieved by search-based identifications.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Copyright Evidence” is online encyclopedia on copyright. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Copyright, Evidence and online, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “online encyclopedia on copyright” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q60746174. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2014, 2017, 1996 and 2015.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Copyright Evidence”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Copyright Evidence primary sources, Copyright Evidence archive and Copyright research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Copyright Evidence”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Copyright Evidence” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.