Copy Fights

Copy Fights
Author: Adam D. Thierer
Publisher: Cato Institute
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2002-08-25
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1933995785

The Internet has often been labeled a disruptive technology, and nowhere has that been more clearly the case than in the field of intellectual property (IP) law. Although debates over IP policy have raged in academic circles and law and economics journals for decades, with the rise of the Internet, IP issues have captured the public's collective attention like never before. Suddenly, the teenage creator of file-swapping sensation Napster appeared on the cover of Time magazine as the mass media took notice of an explosion of interest in digital downloads, CD burning, and widespread peer-to-peer file sharing among the general public. But the mass movement to share songs and other digital content online was met with a firestorm of criticism from copyright and patent holders, who struck back with a vengeance, filing lawsuits and pursuing legislative and regulatory remedies for what they regarded as intellectual property piracy on a scale never before envisioned. This debate has sparked a newfound interest in timeless questions about the nature of intellectual property and how it should be protected, including why do we protect intellectual property at all; do we really have "property rights" in our intangible creations the same way we have property rights to our homes and our land; aren't there better ways to encourage artistic creation and scientific discovery than through the use of copyright and patent laws that protect a limited monopoly? Copy Fights presents a thought-provoking exploration of these questions.

Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age

Intellectual Property in the New Technological Age
Author: Robert P. Merges
Publisher: Aspen Publishers
Total Pages: 1280
Release: 2000
Genre: Intellectual property
ISBN:

A textbook that can be used for a comprehensive introductory course on intellectual property rights, or parts of it used in such courses as a surveys of intellectual property law with an emphasis on technology or of the protection of new technologies, or a more traditional course on copyright and tr

The Digital Dilemma

The Digital Dilemma
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2000-02-24
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0309064996

Imagine sending a magazine article to 10 friends-making photocopies, putting them in envelopes, adding postage, and mailing them. Now consider how much easier it is to send that article to those 10 friends as an attachment to e-mail. Or to post the article on your own site on the World Wide Web. The ease of modifying or copying digitized material and the proliferation of computer networking have raised fundamental questions about copyright and patentâ€"intellectual property protections rooted in the U.S. Constitution. Hailed for quick and convenient access to a world of material, the Internet also poses serious economic issues for those who create and market that material. If people can so easily send music on the Internet for free, for example, who will pay for music? This book presents the multiple facets of digitized intellectual property, defining terms, identifying key issues, and exploring alternatives. It follows the complex threads of law, business, incentives to creators, the American tradition of access to information, the international context, and the nature of human behavior. Technology is explored for its ability to transfer content and its potential to protect intellectual property rights. The book proposes research and policy recommendations as well as principles for policymaking.