USA / COPYRIGHT / DIGITAL DELIVERY (1)

In article in the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review, 2000, Vol 20 No 2, entitled Digital Delivery and Distribution of Music and other Media: Recent Trends in Copyright Law; Relevant Technologies and Emerging Business Models, the author, Jennifer Burke Sylva, sets out the legal and commercial problems arising from the emergence of digital technologies and the expansion of the Internet. She explains the distinction between digital distribution and digital delivery and describes some of the relevant models: the description of the MP3 model is illuminating. She points out, quite rightly, that “part of the challenge faced by copyright holders who wish to establish an online presence and digitally disseminate their content is found in the freeware/shareware cultural climate of the Internet”. She has some practical suggestions for making “legitimate” sites more appealing than “pirate” sites, but keeps her proposals well within the framework of traditional copyright principles. A new legal infrastructure is needed; this “will enable the owners of copyrighted materials to collect royalty revenues under the Copyright Act”. [20020]