New technologies and mediums have created a number of novel issues
related to copyright law. New digital and multimedia technologies
such as CDs and DVDs have greatly expanded the scope of intellectual
property law.
Encryption and decryption technologies, advanced
digital copying and editing technologies, reverse engineering, and
the Internet, have facilitated the copying, modification, and distribution
of copyrighted digital and non-digital works. Individuals and businesses
are now able produce perfect digital reproductions of copyrighted
works and distribute them on a massive scale. Additionally, such
technologies have enabled businesses and individuals to create derivative
works and edit or alter copyrighted works to suit their own tastes
– examples include colorization and alteration or deletion of objectionable
content.
Such developments have created a storm debate
and widespread litigation, involving issues of copyright infringement,
contributory infringement, and fair use. In addition to infringement
concerns, new mediums and multimedia technologies have created a
host of other copyright issues involving licensing, authorship,
work for hire, and compilation copyright issues. New digital mediums
such as the Internet and new multimedia formats such as DVDs may
contain a number of separately copyrightable materials such as a
video, music, sound, animation, graphics, photographs, text, interactive
features, computer programs, and games, creating complex copyright,
ownership, and licensing issues and disputes. Additionally, disputes
may arise when older copyrighted and/or licensed material is merged
into new mediums - such as when a motion picture film is remastered
and digitized and transferred to a DVD. |