Intellectual Property And The Copyright Act Of 1976

The duration of copyright determines the length of protection. Limitations on this length exist to ensure works enter the public domain. Therefore, the length of protection is one of the most relevant and debated issues regarding copyright law. The proponents and opponents of copyright term extension make compelling arguments, but both sides agree that copyright law should encourage creativity and innovation. If Disney is successful in once again lobbying for an extension of duration, a substantial number of works will fail to enter the public domain in a timely manner. This will, consequently, lead to a stifling of creativity and a suppression of innovation that could be detrimental to progress in the realms of science and the useful arts.

Answer: Intellectual property is a property that is owned by an individual or an organization which can then choose to share it freely or to control its use in certain ways. It can

Protection of intellectual property are investments based on acquired knowledge, thought and effort by one or multiple individuals on behalf of themselves, the business they work for when the property is created, and a financial investment. Each of these – acquired knowledge, thought, physical effort, financial investment – have a value that can be attached as it relates the usefulness or importance of the resulting product. That value will have a level of importance to the individual(s) creating the product and if applicable, the investor providing the funds in support of the creation.

C) intellectual property: Intellectual property is any piece of work that you have created yourself using your own intelligence and creativity. Intellectual property is protected by the law by patents, copyright, and trademarks, which protects the property of the holder by giving the

An Introduction to the Law and Economics of Intellectual Property Author(s): Stanley M. Besen and Leo J. Raskind Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Winter, 1991), pp. 3-27 Published by: American Economic Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1942699 . Accessed: 24/11/2011 08:39

Intellectual property protects legal rights and ownership in the market place through ‘intellectual property rights’. This can include trademarks, copyright, industrial design and patens. These protect brand names, designs and inventions.

Copyright is any expression recorded in any physical form, published or unpublished in any medium whether it is music, books, artworks or newspaper articles. Federal publications, facts and ideas are not copyrighted (www.honolulu.hawaii.edu). The very first copyright law that was established was known as the Statute of Anne, which was authorized in England in 1710 (history of copyright, 2005). The newly founded constitution allowed secure rights to its creators. An act very similar to the Statute of Anne was passed by congress in 1790 as the first American copyright law (history of copyright, 2005). As more and more books were produced and were becoming more accessible domestically and internationally in Europe and North America, it became

Some artists also have the rights of attribution and integrity, meaning they can claim authorship and prevent the use of their name for works that are not theirs. There are different time constraints for a work to be copyright-protected in the United States according to the Artists Rights Society. They also explained that any changes in copyright terms have occurred over the years, but now there is a total of 95 years of copyright protection of works published before January 1, 1978, and a term of the lifetime of the artist plus 70 years for works published after January 1, 1978. The term of copyright protection is different from country to country and depends on what the individual nations decide to do. On the “Copyright Basics” page of Artists Rights Society, they state that in 1994, the European Union, as a whole, established a term of the lifetime of the artist plus 70 years. Understanding the background information about copyright in the United States is helpful when discussing the specific issues right for artists.

The Copyright Law of 1976 provided teachers with guidelines and allowances to reproduce copyrighted materials to teach in face-to-face classrooms, but Congress revised the laws in 2001 to meet the needs of educators teaching students through distance learning. Before the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act of 2001 (TEACH Act), the Copyright Law of 1976 provided only for display of copyrighted broadcasts in a classroom setting or place of instruction, to homebound students, and to government employees. The Copyright Law of 1976 prohibited most digital transmissions because of the inherent need to reproduce and distribute materials through distance learning platforms (United States Senate 107th Congress, 1st Session, 2001).

Intellectual property is an asset to an individual or a business. Even though intellectual property is intangible, it is very important to protect it. Protection of intellectual property can be one of the most important business decisions one can make.

What is intellectual property? Intellectual property or IP for short is creations of the mind, such as; inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols, names and images used in commerce. Among these IP also includes trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks. IP and its protection are detrimental to the success of the economy. IPs are the innovations that drive the market forward and they are what created eras like the renaissance and the industrial revolutions. But nowadays it is a lot easier to steal one 's idea and pass it on as your own. There lays a major problem that the United State and many countries around the world face. Over $300 billion have been lost due to the theft of IPs from the U.S. per year.

In the global business arena the concept of intellectual property has drawn much more attention now than there before, globally the protection of intellectual property is at a dynamic stage, the international cooperation on science and technology and the development of economy and trade, the legal protection of intellectual property is playing a significant role in society. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) intellectual property refers to the creations of human minds which include among others, inventions, literal and other artistic works, symbols and names and designs used in commerce (WIPO, 2002).

The purpose of intellectual property is to encourage creativity as well as to ensure reimbursement for the labour of individuals. There are different type of intellectual property such as patent, trademark, and copyright.

How important is an intellectual property right (IPR)? IPR protects the creator or inventor’s benefits, so that it stimulates the interest of innovation. According to United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the number of patent application has been increased over 450% from 1980 to 2010. It shows that people now are more concern about copyright issues. Although owners have the patent application, the violating of copyrights and patents are still happening all over the world.

Intellectual property is critical to many companies in order to foster innovation and boosting their revenues. Many industries rely on the protection of patents, trademarks and copyrights as they are valuable assets for companies’ success. By protecting intellectual properties, it ensures that the original owner reaps full benefits from his/her ideas, features, products and creations.