Discusses problems that new information technologies have created for intellectual property concerns. Digital sampling devices used in music are described, downloading from large databases is discussed, the problems with derivative works are considered, outdated copyright laws are discussed, and ways that librarians can help protect intellectual…

Reviews recent developments in three areas of law which, one way or the other, have an impact on information professionals: copyright, data protection, and liability. This discussion focuses on recent developments that are likely to be of significance to information professionals, including those emanating from the Commission of the European…

This paper presents European perspectives on the future of copyright management. The first section is an overview of intellectual property rights in Europe, including differences between copyright countries and "droit d'auteur" countries. The second section addresses European Community legal policy, including examples related to the…

The legal system of copyright may have worked in the era of print, but with electronic technology, society needs less encumbered and cheaper access to expressed ideas. Economic success will go to those nations that best succeed in promoting creativity without inhibiting the incorporation of expressed ideas into other products. (MLW)

Nearly every academic practice is being transformed by information technology. The concept of "piracy," or "theft," presumes that ideas can still be treated as if they are property, and if so, that the rules controlling the movement of idea-properties can be enforced. (MLW)

This report examines the impact of recent and anticipated advances in communication and information technologies on the intellectual property system. Focusing primarily on the federal copyright system, it assesses the effectiveness of copyright law as a policy tool in the light of technologies such as audio and videorecorders, computer programs,…