Author Information
Author: Longe O. Babatope
Institution: Department of Computer Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Paper Details
Title: Intellectual Property Protection in the Age of Open Access and Digital Rights Management – Balancing the Odds
Author: Longe O. Babatope
Year: 2009
Subject Area: Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Digital Rights, Privacy and Technology
Overview
This paper examines the challenges of protecting intellectual property in an increasingly digital and open-access environment. It considers how technological developments have made information easier and less expensive to reproduce, distribute, modify, and access while also creating new risks for copyright owners.
The paper focuses particularly on Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies as a means of controlling access to and use of digital content. It also considers the privacy implications of DRM systems, including their ability to monitor users and collect information about their online activities and consumption of digital content.
The author argues for a balance between protecting the rights of copyright owners, maintaining access to information, and safeguarding individual privacy.
Main Areas Discussed
- Changing technology and the protection of digital content
- Digitization and digital reproduction
- The relationship between access and copying in digital environments
- Intellectual property protection in the digital age
- Remote access to digital information
- Privacy and surveillance on the Internet
- Information tracking in digital environments
- Digital Rights Management (DRM)
- Privacy implications of DRM technologies
- Digital rights and copyright protection
- Access controls, encryption, and content protection
- Protection of content distributed through cable and satellite networks
- Balancing access to information with intellectual property rights
Key Themes
- Intellectual Property
- Copyright
- Digital Rights Management
- Open Access
- Digital Content
- Privacy
- Internet Surveillance
- Access to Information
- Digital Reproduction
- Technology and Copyright
- Content Protection
- Information Technology
About the Article
The paper considers the legal and technological challenges created by the shift from traditional forms of information to digital content. Digital technologies have substantially reduced the cost and difficulty of reproducing and distributing information, weakening some of the practical barriers that previously limited copyright infringement.
At the same time, technologies designed to protect digital works can give rights holders greater control over how users access and consume information. The paper highlights the potential privacy consequences of these technologies, particularly where DRM systems monitor or restrict user activity.
The author concludes that intellectual property law must respond to developments in digital storage and content-protection technologies while maintaining an appropriate balance among the rights of authors and copyright owners, access to information, and individual privacy.
Suggested Citation
Longe, O. Babatope, Intellectual Property Protection in the Age of Open Access and Digital Rights Management – Balancing the Odds, paper presented at the 2nd African Digital Scholarship and Curation Conference, Pretoria, South Africa, 12–14 May 2009.