Why does copyrightMD contain elements that overlap with other descriptive metadata schema?
Descriptive metadata serves somewhat different purposes than copyright metadata: the former is primarily geared towards helping users locate and identify items via searching and browsing, while the latter is geared towards assisting users with determining the copyright status of a given item. Common cataloging practices and content standards for descriptive cataloging are not principally geared towards recording important copyright information. For example, knowing who created a work does not tell you who currently holds the copyright in the work. At the same time, the creator of a work is a key element in copyright law, even if the creator is no longer the copyright holder. Information about the creator is necessary for the expiration of the rights over time. Another difference between descriptive practice and copyright definition is that copyright relies heavily on the creator’s death date, since that is the date that determines the length of the copyright. In common descriptive meta
