Text and Data Mining (TDM) is a research process using automatic technical analysis methods on large text/data collections. It allows the identification of relationships, patterns, and/or trends that cannot be detected by human means. TDM represents a more comprehensive analysis of information and thus allows the discovery of new knowledge that may subsequently be investigated in a more traditional manner.
On April 1, 2020, the Swiss Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Loi sur le Droit d’Auteur, LDA) has been amended and a new article (24d) has been introduced that allows the reproduction of works for TDM analysis (provided the access is lawful and that this meets a technical requirement) as well as the conservation for archiving and backup purposes. However, this right does not cover the use of the copies in another context (e.g. the dissemination and the publication of the works used).
Some publishers allow text and data mining and offer APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to access their content for non-commercial projects.
Regarding the resources accessed through the Library (institutional subscriptions), TDM may be explicitly authorized or prohibited in the negotiated license agreements or may require an amendment to the agreement, or even a specific contract between the researcher and the publisher.
It is also always essential to obtain the authorization of the copyright holder (e. g. author, publisher) for any reuse and to cite the sources.
Please contact the Library at [email protected] for TDM support on specific resources.