Copyright is a legal bundle of rights. It is set in place to control the right to reproduce a work, distribute copies, perform and display the work and make derivatives. It has become incredibly easy for an individual to have an idea, create it and release it to the world. Copyright is crucial but is not implemented strictly enough. This essay will explore how copyright has changed over the years and how the development of the digital age has made an impact on copyright.
What is copyright?
Copyright is a regulation of creation and is used for a range of cultural goods such as films, television shows, songs, books and electronic content. A copyright owner and content creator has the exclusive right to copy their work; issue copies to the public; perform the work in public; broadcast their work; and make any adaptations or alterations of their work. Copyright is infringed where these actions are
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The copyright owner of an original piece cannot stop the release of a cover version as long as they have obtained a licence. If an artist wants to develop a cover of a song their versions must not change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work, it must remain similar to the original.
‘Copyright is a delicate balance. It gives creators and their assignees some rights, but it also reserves some rights to the public’ (Demers 2006, p11). Demers explores how a creator has very little say with their work once an individual has purchased it. ‘If I buy your book, your painting, or your DVD, it belongs to me. It’s my property. Not my “intellectual property”’ (Demers 2006, p11). Technology has created new business models. Digital rights management (DRM) is a technological term that controls what an individual can do with digital