- Fast pace development in the field of technology is creating new issues for the protection of creative works. Development in the field of internet technology has further complicated the issue.
- Nowadays a digital file can be copied and straight away circulated worldwide via the Internet, thus resulting in the huge loss of revenue from licensed sales.
- The advent of the photocopy machine and video cassette recorder had threatened the protection of copyrighted works in the past as well, but digitisation of creative work and advancement in the field of the internet has posed a more serious problem than the earlier one.
- The digitised material can be copied flawlessly and distributed easily, the cost of creating or developing creative work is much more than the cost of copying or reproducing it.
- Copyright issues in the digital medium are basically concerned with music, movie and computer software. Advancement in the digital technology keeps challenging the copyright issues.
- The technological advancements are changing the way consumers enjoy the creative work.
- For example, one can easily split the music file from a CD and store it in any other medium without paying any extra charges, though copyright law does not allow such act without authentication.
- There had been many cases in the past where the owner of creative material had faced huge loss due to online sharing of work.
- One such case was Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) vs. Napster. RIAA had filed a case of Copyright infringement against Napster.
- The Napster software allowed its user to download and share MP3 files without levying any charges.
- Later on, Napster worked with Bertelsmann to develop a subscription service that would allow its users to share the files and at the same time would ensure that the artists get their due royalties.
- Works published online( whether on any website or Social networking sites) can be protected by the copyright law. Some of the laws that provide such kind of protection but they may fail to provide overall protection in the world of internet.
- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that enforces two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
- It criminalises production and distribution of technology, devices, or services intended to evade measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control
