{"id":5665,"date":"2026-03-20T09:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/?p=5665"},"modified":"2026-03-04T17:57:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:57:58","slug":"a-legal-deposit-framework-for-xr-works-under-consideration-at-the-bnf-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hacnumedia.org\/en\/a-legal-deposit-framework-for-xr-works-under-consideration-at-the-bnf-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A Legal Deposit Framework for XR Works Under Consideration at the BnF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

La BnF, en partenariat avec plusieurs acteurs de la XR, exp\u00e9rimente le d\u00e9p\u00f4t l\u00e9gal des \u0153uvres en r\u00e9alit\u00e9 \u00e9tendue. Mais \u00e0 quoi sert r\u00e9ellement ce dispositif appliqu\u00e9 aux cr\u00e9ations immersives ? Entre catalogage, conservation et d\u00e9couvrabilit\u00e9 des \u0153uvres, retours sur les enjeux de ce chantier in\u00e9dit. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Within the walls of the BnF<\/a>, out of public view, lie the collections gathered through legal deposit. Legal deposit is a statutory requirement imposed on all publishers. \u201cPrinted, graphic, photographic, sound, audiovisual, and multimedia documents, regardless of their technical process of production, publication, or distribution, are subject to mandatory deposit, known as legal deposit, once they are made available to the public,\u201d states the French Heritage Code<\/a>. Since 2021, the Darcos law<\/a> has reinforced this definition, notably by explicitly including digital materials.<\/p>\n\n

Collecting in a Moving Landscape<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

One of the primary objectives of legal deposit is preservation and cataloging. In the fast-shifting landscape of XR\u2014where hardware platforms and technical standards evolve constantly\u2014the task is particularly complex. \u201cPreservation thrives on stability,\u201d acknowledges \u00c9lodie Bertrand, coordinator of multimedia legal deposit at the BnF. \u201cWhat is most challenging, but also most exciting, is that we are working in fields defined by constant innovation. There can be a gap between the formats for which we are beginning to establish deposit procedures and the reality on the ground. By the time we find solutions, new devices have already emerged. The challenge is to determine which formats we can accept, and for which we can guarantee long-term preservation and access.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The institution is acutely aware of the importance of archiving these inherently fragile works. Bertrand points to the era of web documentaries as a cautionary tale. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, studios operated under tight production schedules and economic pressure, leaving little time to consider archiving. When Flash disappeared<\/a>, the primary playback infrastructure for these hybrid formats collapsed. \u201cMany of those works were lost,\u201d Bertrand laments. <\/p>\n\n

Toward Greater Granularity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

For publishers, compliance with legal deposit requirements conditions access to certain forms of financial support from the Centre national du cin\u00e9ma et de l’image anim\u00e9e (CNC). Yet fitting immersive works into existing categories is not always straightforward. One objective of the platform\u2019s evolution is therefore to streamline procedures. As Bertrand explains, there is currently a single form covering all multimedia documents, originally designed with physical media in mind. Moreover, \u201csome publishers produce several types of documents, so it made sense to create a single access portal<\/a>,\u201d she notes. The challenge is to strike a balance. \u201cFor some stakeholders, the form already feels burdensome, while others would like to go into much greater detail,\u201d Bertrand observes. \u201cWe have to find a way to satisfy those who want more specificity without overwhelming those who already find the process too complex.\u201d Adding to the difficulty, the mandatory information required in a legal deposit declaration is set by ministerial decree. <\/p>\n\n

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