The Digital Dilemma: Intellectual Property in the Information Age

by National Research Council

Imagine sending a magazine article to 10 friends-making photocopies, putting them in envelopes, adding postage, and mailing them. Now consider how much easier it is to send that article to those 10... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0309064996
• ISBN13: 9780309064996
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Intriguing grab bag of ethics

The Digital Dilemma explores ethical issues surrounding intellectual property and computers. This book is not going to give you a good background summary of copyright. It would be better to read it after having read a few up-to-date books on the subject. So if you are looking for an introduction to copyright law then go elsewhere first. That said if you are already interested in the subject and know a bit of background then you will probably like this. It deals very much with speculating about possible futures for copyright in digital media and with applying logic to both sides of issues that emerge. A good approach to reading this is to just go to the chapters about topics that interest you. The book is more of a collection of articles than a single big work, so it will make sense read that way. I am very interested in the subject and when I tried to read straight through I got bogged down. A few months later I skimmed and read headings and topics that interested me - that made sense and was pretty interesting. It was like a happy little grab bag. So I ended up liking the book. This is a good book for people who are interested and already know a bit of background on the subject. It is worth reading, but not as a first book on the topic. University libraries and public library systems should archive a copy.

Roadmap for the Future?

There is a grown literature and ongoing debate on the `challenges' and `trends' of digital copyright issues. Until now, the discussion has lacked a comprehensive synthesis. It seems that we might have a serious candidate here: Digital Dilemma is a profound and elaborate analysis of current megatrends within copyright law. Although the topic is hot, this is not a book of hype.Digital Dilemma is credited to a Committee on Intellectual Property Rights and the Emerging Information Infrastructure. The members, and hence writers, of the committee are an interesting mix of leading scholars in law and technology. The four main topics of Digital Dilemma are (1) individual access to works, (2) public access to works, (3) protection of intellectual property, and (4) an excursion to the copyright problems concerning digital music. The title of the book is a bit misleading since discussion is focused strongly on copyright issues. The text is structured easy to approach: first a problem is indicated and described, then a recommendation is given for further discussion. These separate paragraphs for `conclusions', `recommendations' and `points of discussion' add significantly the value of Digital Dilemma for further study. For example, the committee questions the very foundational notion of copy in copyright law and recommends research for a new foundation, which would - at the same time - satisfy the goal of copyright and be more appropriate in the digital environment. A hypothesis is laid that the new concept could be based on the use of a work. If this shift in concepts turns out to be desirable, then the whole existing system of copyright law would need a fundamental revision. Most of the text is left very abstract, untied to any particular legal system. However, this is not to say the text would lack insight. Digital Dilemma attempts to present a worldwide context for further study - with emphasis on actual questions. The book is not limited to legal discussion. Far from it. The topics cover also relevant technological aspects and `trendy' business methods, which lay the ground for legal study - especially concerning the protection of intellectual property. In digital economy, it may be profitable to forget enforcing. A new business model with optional technical protection may lead to increasing profits. Instead, a conservative, literal enforcement of intellectual property rights could decrease the outcome. There is a growing number of real life examples of this trend. All in all, Digital Dilemma is a very recommended reading for scholars, students and people who have interest in the future regulation of intellectual property. It raises questions and fuels academic debate. We need only to remember that the discussion is to start (not end!) from here.