In the early days of the dot.com boom, internet commerce presented opportunities for information providers (websites) to sell inexpensive digital goods to web-users and have the benefit of reaching a far larger consumer base than just a local market. But with the growing free-rider ethos of the World Wide Web and the increasingly burdensome […]
According to several media sources recording artist Prince (a.k.a., formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince) is prepared to sue YouTube (as well as eBay and Pirate Bay) for copyright infringement of his works. Prince is not alleging that Youtube is itself infringing on his copyright. Youtube only provides a forum for people […]
The events of early October, 2007 may herald a new age of respect for intellectual property (IP) rights. The first trial on peer to peer music file sharing pits the major record companies against a woman accused of copyright infringement, an act for which the U.S. Federal Court awarded a $220,000 judgment against her. The […]
On August 27, 2007, the International Herald Tribune published an article by Dan Mitchell titled “Micropayments arrive on the Web.” This piece examined the evolution and reemergence of the use of small user fees, known as micropayments, in exchange for content on the internet. After reading Mitchell’s article, the main question that comes to mind […]
It is virtually impossible to prohibit users from uploading any type of video on YouTube, including uploading parts or all of a musicians’ music video. Even when artists request YouTube take down their videos because of copyright issues, new videos are uploaded the following day. Sharing amateur and professional videos on YouTube has been phenomenally […]
AllofMP3, a music-download site, announced that it will reopen after a Russian court acquitted the site’s former owner of violating IP law. The site was originally forced to close following pressure from the US administration over Russia’s poor protection of IP rights. This case immediately reminds me of the controversial Napster site which was forced […]
The YouTube phenomenon has swept the Internet in a relatively short period of time, but with this popularity has also come an onslaught of copyright infringement litigation. The most significant of this litigation is the1 billion-dollar lawsuit initiated by Viacom in March 2007. Since then, a number of other major media companies and publishers have […]
An idealistic view is that the purpose of copyright is available to induce creators to share their creations with the public in order to foster the growth of learning and knowledge. In exchange for their creations, copyright law provides creators with the incentive of exclusive rights. Lydia Pallas Loren, however, argues in her article, “The […]
Last month, Prince announced he was planning an infringement suit against YouTube, an audio and video streaming site where users are allowed to post content for millions of people worldwide to view. His statement, urging artists "as creators and owners of their music," to "reclaim their art," echoes theories of moral rights, depicting the work […]