A recently completed report by the National Library of Finland examines the benefits of the ISNI identifier and its potential to copyright management organisations (CMO) in promoting the development of services and practices specifically based on data pertaining to works and contributors. The report relates to the ‘Adoption of ISNIs in Copyright Management Organisations’ project coordinated by the National Library.

When a name alone is not enough, it is time to adopt international identifiers. The report delves into the world of ISNI identifiers, examining it from the perspective of Finnish CMOs. What is an ISNI? What are the benefits of ISNIs for CMOs? What can ISNIs be used for? What do ISNIs bring to the sector?

ISNI is an identifier used globally, for example, to uniquely identify the public identities of persons and organisations. In addition, ISNI is persistent and can be shared openly and securely.

Finnish copyright management organisations are currently widely adopting the ISNI standard because

The identifier provides better opportunities for identifying creative-sector contributors, particularly in the international context.
The quality of metadata related to contributors is improved and harmonised.
Cooperation will be facilitated through data exchange across sector boundaries.
The identifier will bring new practices to the creative sector, optimise operations and advance the utilisation and management of digital data.
Finnish copyright management organisations are pioneers in the adoption of ISNI; while ISNIs are already in use in many countries, a comprehensive national solution independent of individual fields for the entire copyright sector is a significant initiative, even internationally. In recent years, Finnish CMOs have invested in improving the quality of administrative metadata, as high-quality metadata is the key to improved copyright management. ISNI contributes to the unique identification of creative-sector contributors and enhances the quality of metadata provided by CMOs.

The wider the use of ISNI, the more the benefits of its use will increase. Widespread adoption of ISNI and the integration of related processes with those of Finnish CMOs will also promote the use of ISNIs in other fields. As the national ISNI registration agency, the National Library is tasked with communicating on the ISNI and promoting its widespread use in Finland.

The adoption of the global ISNI identifier has been initiated in the ISNI project coordinated by the National Library, with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture. The structural support for the development of cultural and creative fields is based on the NextGenerationEU programme, the EU’s one-off emergency instrument (in Finnish).

Project Adoption of ISNIs in Copyright Management Organisations
The report, entitled ‘When the name is not enough: A report on the benefits of the ISNI identifier for copyright management organisations’, is available in the publication archive of the National Library of Finland.

CMOs participating in the ISNI project:
• Gramex is the CMO for recorded artists and producers.
• Kopiosto is the CMO for creative industry professionals, performers and publishers.
• Kuvasto is the CMO for visual artists.
• Sanasto is the CMO for literature.
• Teosto is the CMO for composers, lyricists, arrangers and music publishers.

Further information on ISNI
Contact person: Katerina Sornova, Head of Development, National Library of Finland
katerina.sornova(at)helsinki.fi

 

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