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…

When Lars Ulrich, drummer for the rock group Metallica, testified before Congress about his group's lawsuit against Napster in 2000, many people who followed copyright issues in the music industry were not surprised (Ulrich, 2000). Ever since downloading audio files became as easy as clicking a few buttons on a personal computer, charges of…

Presents the preliminary report of the National Information Infrastructure's Task Force on Intellectual Property. Topics addressed include current copyright law; distribution rights; publication; first sale doctrine; technological protection; copyright management information; public performance right; fair use; licensing; international issues;…

In February 1993, the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) was formed to articulate and implement the Clinton Administration's vision for the National Information Infrastructure (NII). The Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights was established within the Information Policy Committee to examine the intellectual property implications…

Discussion of legal and ethical issues raised by the growth of research networking focuses on two general areas: (1) communication, prepublication, and publication; and (2) the network as a distribution environment. Issues considered include joint authorship, rights in computer conferencing, derivative works, control of dissemination, site…

Provides an overview of information policy, including its importance, its key instruments, and its complexity. Information policy issues that may create new roles for libraries include the ramifications of the public's right to information, the organization and retrieval of electronically networked information, information literacy training,…

Discusses computer ethics and the use of computer networks. Topics addressed include computer hackers; software piracy; computer viruses and worms; intentional and unintentional abuse; intellectual property rights versus freedom of thought; the role of information in a democratic society; individual privacy; legislation; social attitudes; and the…

These conference proceedings address the key issues relating to the National Information Infrastructure, including social policy, cultural issues, government policy, and technological applications. The goal is to provide the knowledge and resources needed to conceptualize and think clearly about this topic. Proceedings include: "Opening…

Two articles consider different aspects of the issue of protecting intellectual property rights. The first discusses the effects of a recent court ruling on information centers in the for-profit sector, focusing on fair use under the Copyright Act of 1976; and the second examines moral and economic issues in electronic information dissemination.…