The main features of this IRIS Special: - The legal framework for digitisation of broadcasters archives - Rights clearance and dealing with orphan works - The online exploitation of public service broadcasters archives, including relevant competition law aspects - Cross-border exploitation The archives of many television broadcasters now contain materiel which includes more than half a century of contemporary, documentary and entertainment history and are of immense cultural and economic value. Digitisation has created an entirely new technical basis for making these assets available to a wide audience, and there are a whole range of projects aimed at opening up audiovisual archives (including those of broadcasters). Examples that might be mentioned are the BBC Creative Archive, the Dutch Filmotech initiative or the French Inamédiapro database. However, many projects to open up broadcasters archives and exploit them online generally run up against serious problems when it comes to clearing the rights for these archived works. These problems arise, firstly, due to a contractual practice that developed in the pre-digital era and to aspects of copyright law that do not really meet the needs of the digital age. Secondly, the very large number of works stored in archives constitutes a challenge that is not easily overcome. The aim of this IRIS Special publication is to discuss the subject of Digitisation and online exploitation of broadcasters archives from a number of different perspectives. The team of authors involved is accordingly made up of representatives of many different interests: copyright holders and those who look after their interests, television broadcasters, lawyers and copyright experts. This IRIS Special thus not only provides you with legal guidance but is at the same time a field report written by specialists who are facing the challenge of opening up broadcasters archives to a wide audience. By working out existing problems that have hitherto not been satisfactorily resolved, both policy-makers and legislators are shown where immediate action is needed.