Officiallythick

Copyright Law on the Internet

Posted on 03 Jun 2011 by admin | Filled under: intellectual-property

Intellectual property has come under the spotlight in the media particularly over the past ten years, primarily due to the increased ease in which has become possible to copy and transmit data across the planet. The information age has led to literary works, music, film and other creative content being copied and transmitted in the matter of seconds.

Intellectual property laws around the world are generally still based on notion of physical goods. It is easier for a person to understand how physical goods should not be counterfeited and sold than it is to conceptualize the copying of bits and bytes. Many people see downloading across the internet as a minor grievance, perpetuated against large corporations. A huge battle has ensued that has included artists aggrieved that people have been copying their intellectual property without paying for it, the publishers who lose money, the facilitators of piracy such as websites and distribution software, and the end-users.

Because intellectual property laws are based on the idea of physical goods, sometimes the law is out of step with reality of life in the new millennium. Countries have been updating their copyright laws, but find it difficult to keep up with the pace of new technology. There has always been the idea that ‘fair use' of intellectual property should not be penalized, and due to the increase in the different types of copyrighted material that can be duplicated and distributed the definition of ‘fair use' is now quite fuzzy.

Intellectual property rights and copyright law is made more complicated by our new global community. Although files, text and media are being distributed across the planet regardless of boundaries, the copyright laws which govern them are administered on a country-by-country basis. There is no doubt that some countries have much stronger copyright laws than others, and so-called ‘pirates' can operate with ease in some countries. Various countries, in desperation, have resulted in blocking websites and trying to divert traffic, but this has angered free speech and net neutrality activists.

All creative works, from writing and photography to software and music, is covered under an implied copyright law, which means we don't need to apply for copyright as we would need to do for a patent. However, copyright has become a minefield to try and protect, and many inventors and creators have felt the pain of seeing their creative works copied around the world without them making any financial gain from it.