Copyright is a group of property rights granted to the creators of literary, artistic, musical, dramatic and audiovisual works.
Its gives the creators of these works the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute copies of their works, to create derivative works, and to perform and display the works publicly.
Copyright also gives creators and authors the right to determine whether their work will be used as part of another work, including films, video programs, and other audiovisual productions.
Copyright prohibits copying someone else’s work without his permission. It has power over the right to copy the work even up to 70years after the author’s death.
This period can differ depending on the kind of property being protected (books, musical compositions, paintings, computer programs, databases.)
Normal practice is to copyright work with the copyright symbol ©, followed by name and date, to warn others against copying it. Works are protected by copyright regardless of the medium in which they exist.
It does not protect ideas but protects the way the idea is expressed in a piece of work.
Copyright issues in e-commerce:-
Owing to the rise of the Internet, the concept and practice of copyright have become a dramatically heightened source of interest and concern. Even since the birth of the first copyright law in the world- the Statute of Anne in Britain- in 1710, the copyright protection has evolved from the protection of publishers to the protection of the author, distributor, and user, like printing, electronic and digital technologies are developing rapidly.
Following are the copyright issues in e-commerce:-
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Conflicts between services in e-commerce and traditional copyright:-
The Internet has made vast information available to us. While enjoying the information service, conflicts between information service and traditional copyright may arise.
- A conflict between online entertainment and copyright: Plenty of thoughts have been invoked due to the conflict between an American online entertainment company MP3.com and other traditional entertainment companies. The thoughts concerning online entertainment have referred to International Trade and law.
- Online movies and copyright: as the technologies advanced, a new technology named MP4 became popular. It adopts a compressive technology just like its counterpart MP3 with an additional feature of compressing images and thus facilitates the propagation of images online. When traditional copyright comes to the era of a network, there should be some integration. The realization and protection of the benefits of movie producers\film-stars and the definition that needs to be addressed.
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Online bookstores and copyright:-
The online publishing mode enables the readers to get a new book in the online bookstore in a very short period. It also costs almost the same as the published copy. The mode of electronic publishing has become a fashion but there has been no solution to there have been no solutions to the concerning copyright issues.
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Copyright protection of database:-
The database is an important foundation of e-commerce. It is the databases that store all procedures in e-commerce, including query and purchase of raw material, the exhibition, order, storage and transportation of products. The database copyright protection has to protect it either as traditional copyright or as a new and independent legislative object. Some suggest that the database is protected as a compilation.
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Current status of database protection:-
With the development of Internet and e-commerce, there are more and more appeals for the legislation of database protection. However, a single country or only a few countries provide legal protection to the database with the fast-growing Internet in the information era; it needs global cooperation and unanimous acknowledgement of the principle of database protection. Otherwise, any legislation in a certain region or a country concerning the Internet database piracy will be inadequate and useless.
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