Digital copyright: the end of an era.

Abstract

Discusses the implementation of European Parliament and Council Directive 2001/29 (the Information Society Directive) in view of the trend to extend the scope of copyright in the context of digitally stored and transmitted copyright works. Compares the WIPO Copyright Treaty, the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998, the German legislation to implement the Information Society Directive and the UK draft implementing legislation. Criticises the strategy of awarding stronger exclusive rights rather than rights to payment, protecting technological protection measures and penalising the users of copyright works. Considers the Information Society Directive provisions on users' rights to fair use and the expiry of the term of exclusive rights. Contrasts the interests of authors and investors in copyright. Includes graphs illustrating how the number of Internet users increased from 1982 to 1998 and the distribution of royalties by the Performing Right Society among best sellers and less successful authors, and the proposed logo for copyright protection on CDs.