Digital Copyright and the New Creative Dynamics
56 Pages Posted: 24 Jan 2006
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Digital Copyright and the New Creative Dynamics
Digital Copyright and the New Creative Dynamics
Abstract
The Internet has ruffled the feathers of copyright law. In response policy makers and rightsholders have sought to expand the legislative boundaries of copyright and embed technical and contractual constraints into works themselves. These measures - collectively termed Digital Rights Management - are not only viewed as necessary to stem the tide of 'piracy', but as desirable to achieve the efficient allocation of copyright works in the market place. Economic theory is used to support these advances as the natural progression for copyright law in the 21st century.
This essay takes issue with this economic rationale, and suggests that private market based mechanisms are likely to systematically exclude certain values that copyright law has traditionally undertaken to protect. Furthermore, it is suggested that whilst rightholders are naturally wary of digital technology, it provides precious opportunities for those at the ends of the copyright chain: creators and users. Finally, the status of copyright exceptions under the European Copyright Directive, in particular those which implicate informational, private, and transformative uses, are assessed in light of the earlier arguments.
Keywords: Copyright, Internet, DRM, Information Society Directive
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