Bringing copyright into the information age

Reviewing current literature about the Internet reveals broad interest in copyright enforcement techniques. It appears to be concentrated in software and music. Current copyright statutes promote an outdated, industrial-age approach to intellectual property. We still need copyright to protect creative efforts. Structural changes in the premises underpinning industrial cultural, such as those exemplified in potential alterations to existing copyright statutes, require that computing professionals participate more openly in the relevant social and cultural debate. We should operate in a way that does not restrict development of computer systems on a massive scale, but also make them available to other entities, from nonprofit organisations to advocacy groups.