Background: The evolution in digital technologies has had an enormous impact on traditional copyright notions. Works in digital form have uniform characteristics and these works can be copied, distributed and stored with ease. Objectives: The focus of this article was how to attain a balance between the need to promote access to works and…

Public libraries are heavily affected by political and policy-making processes that shape the funding, activities, and roles of libraries in society, with the explosion of information policy decisions in the past two decades significantly increasing the responsibilities of libraries while also increasing limitations on their activities. Research…

The author argues economic analysis needs to be explicitly included in an overall theory of law and technology. Differing approaches to the economics of information are considered, and the copyright policy environment of the 1990s is taken as an example of how the lack of substantive economic analysis resulted in poor policy-making.

One of the most important topics for today's information technology professional is the study of legal and regulatory issues as they relate to privacy and security of personal and business data and identification. This manuscript describes the topics and approach taken by the instructors that focuses on independent research of source documents and…

The Bayh-Dole Act has been remarkably successful in promoting the transfer of technology in the USA from federally funded research labs to the private sector. Although other governments are now looking to Bayh-Dole as a model, most of this interest has been limited to developed countries. This article examines the potential benefits of the…

As required under section 104 of Public Law No. 105-304, this Report evaluates the effects of title I of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 and the development of electronic commerce and associated technology on the operation of sections 109 and 117 of title 17, U.S.C. It also evaluates the relationship between existing and…

Section 108 of the Copyright Act of 1976, Title 17 of the United States Code, spells out conditions under which libraries may photocopy copyrighted works without infringing the rights of their owners. Section 108(i) directs the Register of Copyrights to prepare and file a report every 5 years setting forth the extent to which this section has…

During the past 12 years, encompassing the 95th through the 100th Congresses, hundreds of bills and resolutions have been introduced and debated that were concerned with information policy, related programs, and the ways in which advanced information technologies (computers, telecommunications, microform systems, video and audio devices) are…

Discusses legal issues involved in developing and distributing multimedia publications. Examines libel; rights of publicity; and such elements of copyright law as copyright protections and infringements, fair use and public domain policies, and use of ideas and factual materials. Uses a hypothetical multimedia project to illustrate the legal rules…

Discusses copyright law, linking without permission, and trademark law--limiting the manner links are displayed. Explains framing, allowed by law, though particular use of a frame could confuse consumers as to the information source, and how framing may implicate trademark concerns. Examines Second Circuit opinion that could severely limit the…

This document represents the higher education and library community's guiding public policy agenda on information technology (IT) for the current year. The Higher Education Information Technology (HEIT) Alliance is a coalition of 11 national higher education and library associations, whose members represent a broad array of stakeholders on college…

With the recent passage of a new law eagerly-awaited by educators, the same type of copyright protected materials that a teacher would ordinarily use in the physical classroom can now--in general--be used in the digital classroom. The "Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act," which President Bush signed into law on…

This report gives an overview of the past and present domestic and international legal framework for database protection. It describes database industry practices in securing protection against unauthorized use and Copyright Office registration practices relating to databases. Finally, it discusses issues raised and concerns expressed in a series…

This document presents the proceedings from a legislative hearing before the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives on S. 487, the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2001, popularly known as the TEACH Act. The TEACH Act amends sections…

American copyright law provides a means of stimulating intellectual development and protecting the ownership interests of the authors of copyrighted works. Over the years, U.S. copyright law has evolved in order to respond to societal and technological changes. Under the copyright statute certain uses of a copyrighted work are permitted under the…