Electronic Copyright Under Siege

摘要

Copyright is a contentious, ugly problem from which no one is immune in this age of electronic transmission. Copyright and information delivery are linked. One can no longer supply or receive copies of documents without being knowledgeable about legislative actions and court decisions that affect information use. The issue is complicated by divergent interpretations of what copying and downloading rights are permissible under the Copyright Act of 1976. In light of the Texaco settlement last year, some industry experts say fair use is dead and advise a conservative approach to copying. Others maintain they are not disheartened by Texaco, but covertly support a "use it and lose it" attitude toward copying.