Digitalisation And Copyright Trends

Preeti Nim, LLM, Amity Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Amity University

ABSTRACT

One of the best inventions of the human mind is the development of digital technology. A vast range of opportunities in industries including media, entertainment, communication, advertising, and education have been made possible because of technology. Technology today has merged into our daily lives and can no longer be considered independent. We now have access to a wide range of amenities, including entertainment, education, advertising, and communication. A new age with new dimensions and objectives has been made possible by digitalization, and this new era will bring about a huge shift in how people live.

The introduction to a digital era comes with its own pros and cons. With the internet providing an ease of accessing information of any kind by anyone, it can also possess a threat to the protection of the sources of such information. The ease of access to materials on the Internet has raised serious concerns about copyright infringement. One of the most significant intellectual property rights, known as copyright, refers to the ownership rights that authors and other creators of creative works have. It encompasses creations from, to name a few, novels, paintings, computer programmes, movies, databases, and maps. Without the owner's consent, it has become much simpler thanks to digitalization to copy, duplicate, and sell another person's creative works for profit, and it is more challenging to catch such violations. The rights of the copyright owners or artists have been seriously threatened by this.

One of the biggest dangers to copyright since long has been the Internet. There are many levels of copyright protection for the information that is accessible on the internet. Online news, stories, photos, graphics, e-books, screenplays, videos, etc. are all examples of copyrighted works. It might be difficult to tell whether a work is a copy or a duplication of a protected work due to the abundance of information available on the internet. The idea that information obtained online and in the public domain can be freely copied is a widely held misconception. However, this is not always the case, depending on whether the government has made the material public, the copyright's term has passed, or the owner has given up their claim.

The internet and technology breakthroughs have many benefits, but they also have drawbacks that cannot be ignored. Copyright infringement has become a simple operation that can be completed in no time or less as a result of technological advancements and easy access to the internet. Technology advancements throughout the digitalization era have put the material and the rights of the copyright owner in danger.