A couple decades ago, business-based online information existed in an industry that you could get your arms around. According to Marydee Ojala, who wrote the legal issues piece starting on page 30, "Deals were done on a handshake. Licensing agreements were written in a minimalist fashion. It was a small industry and everyone knew everyone else." Not only that, but folks--mostly librarians in corporate, academic, and government organizations--looking to buy information knew exactly where to go. Vendors were limited and so were the choices. Informational content was offered through standalone proprietary interfaces. These days, everything has exploded. The web has wrested the proprietary model out of the hands of a few information vendors and leveled the field so that anyone can access, purchase, and disseminate content at their leisure. And those that don't want to actively go out and find what they need can simply sit back and let a crowded field of vendors pump information onto the desktop, dissected into any number of specific categories appropriate to the end-user's information needs. TECHNOLOGY Content takes many forms and the technology that creates, manages and distributes it is now at the center of the action. Here, we've identified four trends, IT infrastructure, content management, ecommerce, and DRM, as technological highlights that drive the industry. According to Bill Trippe, "It is the confluence of these elements that the rubber meets the road, and where organizations large and small will be spending their IT dollar over the next several years." LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS Intellectual property law, specifically copyright, is front and center. Digital distribution creates obvious opportunities for content creators to earn more revenue.
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