Copying and Copyright

Hal R Varian

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 12/4/2004)

Today most newly created textual, photographic, audio, and video content is available in digital form. Even older content that was not born digital can relatively easily be converted to machine-readable formats. At same time, the world has become more networked, making it easy to transfer digital content from one person to another. The combination of technological progress in both digitization and computer networking has been a challenge for traditional ways of managing intellectual property. Some observers have even questioned whether current models for intellectual property can or should survive in a digital world.