![Sample our Law journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5942/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Law.jpg"})
Abstract
The paper examines the impact of digitisation on copyright and the conflicting views of whether to extend or narrow down protection for digital works with the potential consequences of stifling technology on the one hand and the restriction of basic fundamental rights on the other. The paper contends that the questions will probably change again as the technology continues to evolve and hence the debate over granting greater or lesser rights may be misplaced. It proposes to consider another paradigm around which to construct copyright. In particular, it argues that copyright has been based on an idealised notion of the creator. It therefore calls for ditching this ideal and embracing the age of collective creation, collaboration and sharing to unleash the natural development of the author concept.
Notes
1 For a typical example, see Rosenblatt, B., Trippe, B. & Mooney, S. (2002) Digital Rights Management: Business and Technology, p. 145 (New York: Hungry Minds).
2 For a discussion of the societal implications of this, see Shniederman, B. (2003) Leonardo's Laptop, pp. 76 – 109 (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press).
3 Foucault, M. (1977) Language, Counter-Memory, Practice, pp. 118 – 119 (Oxford: Blackwell).
4 Woodmansee, M. (1992) On the Author Effect: Recovering Creativity, Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal, 10, 279 at p. 281.
5 Supra 6.
6 Supra 3 at p. 8.
7 Durham, A. (2004) Copyright and information theory: toward an alternate model of ‘authorship’, Brigham Young University Law Review, 69.
8 See inter alia Jaszi, P. (1992) On the author effect: contemporary copyright and collective creativity, Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal, 10, 293.
9 See Grimmelmann, J., Sims Online Censors Online Journalist, at: http://research.yale.edu/lawmeme/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1291
10 Ginsburg (2003) The concept of authorship in comparative copyright law, DePaul Law Review, 52, 1063 at p. 1072.
11 For a discussion see Rifkin, J. (2000) The Age of Access (New York: Penguin Books).
12 Universal City Studios, Inc. v Corley, 273 F.3d 429 (2d Cir. 2001).
13 RealNetworks, Inc v Streambox, Inc, No.C99–2070P, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 889 (W.D. Wash. 18 January 2000).
14 Pub. L.105 – 304, October 28, 1998, 112 Stat. 2860.
15 Directive 2001/29 [2001] O.J. L167/10.
16 Anonymous (2004) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4041289.stm
17 Anonymous (2004) http://www.pczone.co.uk/
18 Harris, W. (2004) Is the Half Life 2 EULA illegal? At: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=21105, and Vogeley, D. (2004) The case of Half Life 2. At: http://www.indicare.org/tiki-print_article.php?articleId=85
19 For a superb discussion, see Reese, D. (2003) Will merging access controls and rights controls undermine the structure of anti-circumvention law?, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 18, 619 at p. 628.
20 17 U.S.C. §1201(a)(3)(B).
21 Bolinger, B. (2002) Comment: focussing on infringement: why limitations on decryption technology are not the solution to policing copyright, Case Western Reserve Law Review, 52, 1091.
22 Universal City Studios, Inc. v Reimerdes, 111 F. Supp. 2d 294 (S.D.N.Y. 2000).
23 Supra 16.
24 Supra 25 at p. 318.
25 Lexmark International v Static Control 387 F. 3d 522 (October 2004) at 547.
26 Pearson, S. (2003) Trusted Computing Platforms: TCPA Technology in Context (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall).
27 During the 321 Studios (307 F. Supp. 2d 1085) case CEO Rob Semaan made clear to me in an email the restrictive nature of the license given by the DVD Consortium: ‘After the CCA sued us late last year for patent infringement, we formally asked them for a license. They offered their standard license which contains only a limited number of potential uses, none of which allowed us to make DVD backup software, not to mention the prohibition placed on licencees from making anything with a digital output (ever wondered why DVD players don't have digital outputs on the back?)’ (email on record with the author, received on 27 May 2004).
28 For details see Anonymous (2004), at: http://www.ondemanddistribution.com/eng/home/home.asp
29 See Anonymous (2004) at: http://www.idsoftware.com/business/technology/and Anonymous (2004) at: http://www.iddevnet.com/doom3/