Page 44 - STJ VOL 3 FINAL_Neat

Technology
Technology

opyright’ is a legal device that power to promote the progress of
provides the creator of a work of art science and useful arts, by securing
or literature, or a kind of work that for limited times to authors
conveys information or ideas, and inventors the exclusive
©the right to control how the rights to their respective
work is used. Since the law on copyright writings and discoveries”.
was instituted, it has responded to The essential idea behind
technological change. Today, the copyright is simple – Artists
developments that are flooding the and creators should be
headlines relate to digital technology able to enjoy the fruits of
and digital communications their labour for a specified
networks such as the internet, time period, after which
personal computers and mobile the material becomes
phones. These technologies, like available for public use.
many other innovations, are Society benefits because
both promising and potentially this incentive to create
harmful to various stakeholders will yield a rich and varied
interested in them. Digital cultural and technological
copyright may range from the menu for its citizens.
use and exploitation of works of Indeed, one can say that
authorship, such as books and copyright protection is
music to films, web pages and a necessary ingredient
various kinds of databases. for ensuring cultural
This article explores some of wealth and technological
the digital issues confronting progress in our societies.
copyright law today. But if copyright protection
is important for reaching
cultural and technological
Meaning of Copyright advancement objectives,
Copyright covers rights then it is equally true
related to literary, dramatic, that the theft of these
musical, and artistic works, copyrighted works is a
cinematography films, threat to the creative
sound recordings, computer sectors in our societies.
applications and databases. By NOTE: Copyright enjoys
definition, copyright is the right automatic protection; no
to copy or reproduce the work further formalities are
in which a copyright subsists. required once a work
Copyright is a kind of intellectual has been expressed in
property with growing importance tangible form.
in recent times due to the rapid Characteristics of digital
technological advancement in the technology
field of printing, music, communication, A number of technologies
entertainment and computers. The currently raising issues
object of copyright law is to encourage for copyright law are those
authors, composers, artists, designers related to digital storage and
and programmers to create original works transmission of works. There
by rewarding them with exclusive rights for are a number of aspects to these
a limited period, normally spanning the life of technologies that have implications
the author plus 50 years or more depending on for copyright law.
national laws. Ease of Reproduction: Among

Protection of Copyright
We can credit 17th century England with the concept of
a “copyright,” a law that protects the creative products
of authors, artists, singers, as well as reflecting
developments since the 1600s. This concept has even
been enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, whose Article
I, Section 8, Clause 8 reads, “The Congress shall have

44
44