What exactly is a 'private copy' and how is it legal?

Private book copying applies as a fair use exception from a national EU Member States (MS) copyright law limitations, to certain EU Member States with PLR (Public Lending Right) & Collecting Management Organisation, laws in place.

CMOs are essential in systems where rights holders are not paid directly by government. They ensure that payments are calculated and distributed based on library lending data, often using sample surveys of public library collections. The use of CMOs varies globally, but their function is consistent: to ensure creators receive fair compensation when their works are loaned through libraries, supporting both cultural access and the livelihoods of creators.Book source must be legal, e.g. by borrowing a book for copying from a public library in certain EU MS (list below).

E.g. in accordance with Finnish copyright law, Section 12.

DISCLAIMER.

We advise to consult your local (EU MS National) copyright law before copying a book for the private use exception.

See e.g. consultation with the Finnish Copyright Council, that confirmed the private use copying exception: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nEcaQZ43t4kruhK6ha9Y8391fi_yBYca/view

But for Spain and UK local court's/ECJ decisions don't protect the national private book copying exception.

Here is a list of countries where both a Private Copying Levy system (for non-commercial private use) and a Public Lending Right (PLR) system are in place. This means that when a book is copied by a natural person for their own use from a public library, the library book author receives royalties through these systems.

EU Countries with Both Private Copying Levy and Public Lending Right Systems:

Austria
Belgium
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland (PLR only; no private copying levy)
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Netherlands
Norway (EEA, not EU)
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden

SOURCE: https://europeanwriterscouncil.eu

Non-EU Countries with Both Private Copying Levy and Public Lending Right Systems:

Australia
Canada
Israel
New Zealand

Notes:
Ireland has a PLR system but does not have a private copying levy system.
Luxembourg is the only EU country without a private copying levy system, but it does have a PLR system.
United Kingdom has a PLR system but does not have a private copying levy system for books.

In countries with both systems, authors receive royalties both when their books are lent out by public libraries (PLR) and when copies are made for private use (private copying levy).
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How do you ensure the quality of scanned and printed books?

1. We ask you to check visually the print-ready PDF file before sending it to our partner print shop.
You may tap the button "SEND TO PRINT" or "I NEED CORRECTIONS".

As our transcribing is done by AI machines, there can be small mistakes, especially if you've chosen a book in rare or ancient language. AI transcribed books before their language model is accustomed - may have up to 3% to 5% CER (Character Error Rate, see the platform Transkribus.org, used by main EU Cultural Heritage Institutions and by our volunteers & your self for scanning the library books by smartphone). But mostly CER is far below these 3%, namely 0.5% depending on complexity of the source (tables, different regions of text, drawings, handwritings, marginalia etc.)

While e.g. OpenAI models struggle with complex PDF layouts and image-based documents, specialized platforms like Hyperscience offer high-confidence transcription automation, where confidence thresholds can be tuned to meet accuracy requirements (e.g., 99.5% accuracy budget).

2. Our platform connects to our print partners - very big EU printshops, specialized at production flows of 1 million yearly production of Book-of-One (when each book is printed in one unique copy per one user), with extra several layers of control checks and 10+ years of fulfilling these orders of Book-of-One.

See e.g. Rotomail story: "Automation & Efficiency: The system eliminates manual intervention, enabling fully automated, on-demand production. This allows Rotomail to produce over 1 million book-of-one copies annually (as of 2024), with a total of 5 million books printed yearly."

SOURCE: https://www.bronteglobalalliance.com/about-us/ ▼

Is my personal information and request history kept private?

Yes!

In addition to EU GDPR strict observance

- we and our print partners pursue the EU guidelines for security printing businesses.

Among them: Key Security Measures

User Authentication:

Implement secure print release (e.g., Follow-Me printing), so documents are only released after user authentication at the device.

Data Encryption:

Ensure data is encrypted in transit and at rest, including on printer hard drives.

Access Control:

Restrict administrator rights and assign roles based on need-to-know principles.

Firmware & Software Updates:

Regularly update printer firmware and software to patch known vulnerabilities.

Audit Trails:

Maintain logs of print, scan, and copy activities for accountability and breach detection.

Regulatory Context:

General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR): requires clear manufacturer and EU-responsible person details on product listings, including those involving printed materials.

EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation):

Applies to certain printed paper products (e.g., books, calendars, diaries) from high-risk countries. Operators must provide due diligence statements (DDS) proving deforestation-free production.

Inline Printing for Compliance:

In regulated industries (e.g., pharmaceuticals, food), inline printing ensures traceability, tamper-proof labeling, and compliance with regulations like the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD).

Best Practices:

Conduct regular risk assessments of print infrastructure.

Integrate print management systems with identity management (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory).

Use print management software
to centralize control and enforce policies.

Our platform OpenEuropeBooks can't see

- by design - what book and what data of a book you have chosen to copy for private use.

We leverage edge data processing in data containers, so that a book copy is not transferred out of your personal cloud "wallet", but access for processing is enabled only inside it (at the edge of your cloud), provided by the leading "wallets provider" from a Finnish cooperative member, https://findynet.fi/.

Findynet Cooperative is a non-profit, public-private collaborative organisation developing a general-purpose, shared and secure trusted network for verifiable data. By using the Findynet network, individuals and organisations can share their data in a privacy-preserving way with those who need it.

From 2027 - we'll enable an own EU MS Digital Wallet for you, for free, with similarly secure, end-to-end encrypted but cross-border EU infrastructure.

Like EUDIW from iGrant.io (https://www.igrant.io/) the Swedish provider, participating at MyData Global Network, NGO (mydata.org , "helping people and organisations to benefit from personal data in a human-centric way"), member of OpenGLAM Network (Open Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), a global initiative promoting open access to cultural heritage in GLAM institutions).

See our solution at OpenGLAM https://hack4openglam.okf.fi/projects/individual-books-for-students/ ▼

How does the decentralized network model work?

Our model connects EU citizens as volunteers to digitize books from their local libraries using their smartphones.

Here’s how it works:

Volunteers borrow a physical book from their local library, scan it using a free app, and upload the images to our platform.

OCR Processing:

We convert scans into searchable, print-ready digital files using open-source or advanced OCR tools.

Access & Printing: The digitized book is made available to a Finnish user (or another EU citizen) for private use, as a digital copy AND as a single printed “Book of One” via our partner print shops.

Compliance: The process adheres to EU copyright laws (e.g., Finnish Copyright Act, Section 12) for private copying, ensuring legal and ethical access to restricted materials.

Result: A scalable, community-driven network that expands access to books—without centralized scanning costs. Every volunteer unlocks one book for another user, creating a self-sustaining cycle.
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What types of books can I request through the network?

You can request books that are physically available in EU libraries.

E.g., from Koninklijke Bibliotheek in the Netherlands; National Library of France (BnF)
- or from Finnish libraries via Finna.fi,
- if it's not available / expensive as e-book or via interlibrary loans.

This includes:
Out-of-print or rare books
Books restricted from digital lending (due to copyright or publisher policies)
Historical, academic, or niche titles not commercially available in Finland or in your EU MS, eligible for private copying exception from copyright.

E.g. books covered under Section 12 of the Finnish Copyright Act (private copying for personal use).

See e.g. how visitors scan books at BnF,
by the same method as our platform enables:
https://blog.transkribus.org/en/scantent-revolutionised-scanning-at-the-bnf .

We give instructions how to scan books even without the Scan Tent accessory, used in BnF:
watch videos and photo of smartphone positioning at a desk lamp;
PARALLEL (!) to a book's text lines, with a dark background below a book:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19f56LO9_3TA4DSjp42U0lqr90xFkpQcm/view

More info on free scanning app DocScan:
https://help.transkribus.org/docscan

Note: We pursue compliance with EU copyright laws—only books legally accessible for private copying are eligible.
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