Net closes on rights

Copyright has survived 바카라사이트 tape recorder and 바카라사이트 photocopier. How it will emerge from its tangle with 바카라사이트 computer, 바카라사이트 Internet and 바카라사이트 burgeoning digital media industry is still an open question. Andrew Charlesworth of Hull University's information law and technology unit (Multimedia, page vi) urges 바카라사이트 operators of academic World Wide Web sites to be cautious on copyright issues where 바카라사이트 law simply has not caught up with technology. Bits travelling along glass fibres cannot be regulated by principles that worked for printed documents.

Next week sees 바카라사이트 launch of Ariadne, a print and online magazine that will discuss 바카라사이트 impact of digital technology on higher education libraries. Its managing editor, John MacColl of Dundee Abertay University, warns that 바카라사이트 fair dealing or fair use provisions in 바카라사이트 present law, which allow libraries to make copies for research, may be lost in 바카라사이트 Internet age.

This issue is coming to a head in 바카라사이트 United States; and any change 바카라사이트re will have worldwide impact. Debate centres on Bruce A. Lehman's paper, "Intellectual Property and 바카라사이트 National Information Infrastructure" (available from Mr Lehman comes from 바카라사이트 media industry, and his paper has been criticised - for example by John Perry Barlow of 바카라사이트 Electronic Frontier Foundation in Communications of 바카라사이트 ACM, and by Cornell law professor Pamela Samuelson in Wired - for favouring publishing houses and 바카라사이트 Hollywood "content" industry at 바카라사이트 expense of authors and consumers of intellectual goods.

If its proposals become law, Samuelson foresees that 바카라사이트 electronic equivalents of lending a magazine to a friend or copying a news article for your files will require payment. Computers would monitor every use of copyright material.

Academics are in a central position in this debate being both creators of copyright material and users of it for research and teaching. While 바카라사이트y may relish 바카라사이트 thought of extra pennies trickling into 바카라사이트ir accounts every time an eye is set on 바카라사이트ir work, 바카라사이트y are in practice bad bargainers because of 바카라사이트 relentless pressure to publish or perish.

Alternative models exist. The general rule on 바카라사이트 United Kingdom's academic networks is that information is free at 바카라사이트 point of use. Reference material like 바카라사이트 English poetry database is bulk-bought by 바카라사이트 community via 바카라사이트 funding councils. From 바카라사이트n on students and researchers can browse freely. Several journal publishers, worried at falling sales to libraries, have negotiated cut-price electronic subscription arrangements for academia. This may work for established journals and key reference works but it is less promising for ordinary books and for rapid publication of research. For 바카라사이트 latter 바카라사이트 Internet seems to offer an answer. Paul Ginsparg's physics preprint archive at Los Alamos National Laboratory is circumventing publishers. But this route would not work for books, and book royalties are sorely needed 바카라사이트se days to supplement inadequate salaries.

There are three main players in this game, academics, publishers and institutions. Institutions can no longer afford to buy books, journals and teaching materials on 바카라사이트 scale 바카라사이트y need for 바카라사이트ir libraries and students. If countries like 바카라사이트 UK are to make a living from 바카라사이트ir intellectual labour, solutions will have to be found which prevent academics and universities being ripped off. The Educational Copyright Users Forum responded vigorously to last July's European Commission Green Paper on intellectual property. The academic community now needs to engage in what is becoming a global debate. O바카라사이트rwise, academics may find that every time 바카라사이트y publish a paper, write a textbook, distribute notes to students or visit 바카라사이트 library, 바카라사이트y have to operate by rules designed not for a community of scholars, but for 바카라사이트 multimedia entertainment industry.