Title

Copyright Law, the Production of Creative Works and Cultural Growth in Cyberspace

Abstract

The Internet has affected information flow in copyrighted content in a profound manner. Authors and artists are enabled through the Internet to assert greater control over the flow of information in their works as these new technologies offer new and different distribution channels for content. These new technologies also allow consumers to use content in ways, which had not been anticipated by the copyright industries. This paper presents that copyright law was developed for a specific purpose, which was to encourage learning and growth. As new technologies emerge and as content industries experience changes in information flow in copyrighted works, copyright law had been used to maintain control over existing information flows. The law has a pivotal role to play as the industries assert greater control over the flow of information in content. The role of copyright law in this instance is not to maintain the existing status quo as the industries undergo changes and loss of control over information flow in copyrighted works. Rather, the law serves a more fundamental purpose of balancing information flow between private and public interests. As the law was designed to encourage authors and artists to produce creative works for the public purposes of education, socio-economic and cultural growth, copyright law in the global information society plays an even more important role to ensure that society has access to information in copyrighted works.

Disciplines

Constitutional Law | Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law | Intellectual Property Law | Internet Law | Law and Society | Legal History | Science and Technology Law

Date of this Version

April 2005