Copyright Relevancy at Stake in Libraries of the Digital Era

Copyright: The Ball Is In Whose Court?

Copyright is the sole right to copy or produce a work conceded to the publisher by the creator through a mutual agreement, the fundamental goal of copyrights being to maintain a balance between the creator getting a reward and the creation being used for the good of the society. Thus, the motive is to benefit the creator as well as user of the new creation. Among the trio of copyright system, those desperate to retain copyright and lobbying hardest are the intermediaries who control the conduits between creators and their audience.

Copyright system is designed to nurture ecology of creator, disseminator, and user of work of authorship. However, the current copyright system is failing its intended beneficiaries. The basic foundation of copyright has been shaken by the concentration of copyright provisions in the hands of vendors/publishers whose motivation to further the goals of copyright is primarily economic.

Although the vendor creates a market for copyright work to provide money for creators and to pass on the works to users, readers, and listeners as they step into the shoes of creator for money making. Thus, their participation is primarily by self- interest.