Colleges have deployed various tactics over the years to deter illegal file sharing, usually of commercial music and movies, by their students. This month, the U.S. Department of Education will begin crafting regulations that specify strategies, a prospect that is making some campus officials wonder if plans they have already invested in will pass…

This article reports on a monitoring project commenced by the campus-network officials at Illinois State University that shows that the campus network is a haven for illegal activity. In an effort to bridge the divide between the university and the entertainment industry, Illinois State designed an unorthodox research program to give a detailed…

Computer security is one of the most complicated and challenging fields in technology today. A security metrics program provides a major benefit: looking at the metrics on a regular basis offers early clues to changes in attack patterns or environmental factors that may require changes in security strategy. The term "security metrics"…

The library, as we once knew it, may no longer be relevant. And, yet, this is undoubtedly the most exciting time in history to be a librarian. The future of the school library as a relevant and viable institution is largely dependent on librarians and how quickly they respond to change. They worry about their field and their practice. They worry…

Description of the Library of Congress' Networking Advisory Committee focuses on recommendations it has made concerning issues pertinent to intellectual property in an information network environment. Alternatives to the present Copyright Act are examined, the economics of sharing information are discussed, and questions involving databases and…

Discusses the use of computer networking such as the Internet for the creation and dissemination of copyright works. Topics include the need for data structures for organizing and identifying units of digital information; and the copyright status of original works of authorship structured as digital objects. (LRW)

U.S. Supreme Court justices struggled in a lively debate with how to balance the competing interests of the entertainment industry and developers of file-sharing technology. Some justices sharply questioned whether it was fair to hold inventors of a distribution technology liable for copyright infringement, while others suggested that it was wrong…

Representatives of American publishers have agreed that an assertive new effort is needed to prevent unauthorized copying of electronic materials, particularly through computers linked to the World Wide Web. Copyright management systems are proposed as a means to provide protection for content of intellectual property and for on-line financial…

Discusses microcomputer-based reformatting of text to help learners with disabilities. Highlights include letter size; spacing; copyright problems; expanding the target audience to make systems more cost effective; writing skills; voice input; and further enhancements, including networked systems and the use of hypertext. (14 references) (LRW)

Describes Electronic Software Delivery System (ESDS), which allows teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District to access and preview software stored at a central location. Hardware used in the system is explained, and security of programs stored on the system is emphasized as the key to its success. (LRW)

Since its founding in 1990, the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) has focused on publishing and accessing intellectual property. This article presents an interview with CNI's new executive director, Cliff Lynch discussing future changes, scholarly communication and the Internet, the University of California Berkeley's MELVYL, computer…

Examines the relationship between the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and the new General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Topics discussed include the reduction or elimination of tariffs on NII products; protection of copyrighted works; unresolved trade issues, including the European telecommunications market; standards; and privacy and…

This paper is intended to help institutions of higher education critically evaluate the principal technological tools and policies being used to enforce copyright on campus networks. It first explores where the goals of copyright holders and universities overlap and where they conflict. It then discusses the pros and cons of the major solutions…

Reviews copyright issues that were addressed at the InCITE 1995 workshop, including copyright law, fair use guidelines, multimedia issues, copyright policy statements by national professional organizations, legal activities related to the Internet, and multimedia guidelines. (LRW)

Examines the interconnected issues surrounding domain naming. Discusses "dot" ownership, top-level domain expansion, control of second-level domain names, and trademarks and copyright protections. Outlines the history extending from the development of the pre-Internet ARPANET to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers…