published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The Napster case has created a frenzy of controversy and confusion. The Peer to Peer technology developed by Napster creator Shawn Fanning, has forced the courts, the legislature, corporations, and individuals to reconsider the use of the Internet. Peer to peer networks create new challenges for the application of copyright law. However, these challenges are not that different from those which copyright law has evolved to accommodate in the past. Copyright law is intended to balance the interests of the creators and the public to promote the progress of science and useful arts. The premise behind copyright protection is to ensure that people continue creating, and that the public continues to enjoy those creations, through the mechanism of rewarding the creators with a temporary monopoly over their works. This balance of interests is fundamental to the interpretation of copyright law by the United States Congress and the Courts. This thesis focuses on the application and interpretation of copyright law through a case study of the law in the United States, in particular the Napster case. Although it now appears that the Internet can be subject to some form of regulation with the aid of technological innovation to enforce the regulation, the Courts in the Napster case have misinterpreted the previous judicial consideration attributed to copyright law. In essence, the fundamental principle of the balancing of interests has been lost. We are now left with an unequal balance in favor of large media conglomerates. It can be argued that the media conglomerates have used Napster as an example of their power to control the technology of peer to peer networking as a model of distribution. Napster demonstrates that peer to peer is an effective way of sharing information with an extremely large amount of people. This has the music industry scared, resulting in their legal battle to shut down the Napster technology. The claims of copyright misuse raise awareness of the need for regulation and a reassessment of copyright application in a digital age. There is a need for regulation. However, any attempts at further application of law and regulation to the Internet concerning copyright protection should consider the intent of the constitutional founders of the United States -- copyright law is intended to protect the interests of both the artists, and the public.

Autorinių teisių pažeidimas ir plagiatas turi keletą aiškių paviršinių panašumų ir giliau paslėptų, ne taip aiškiai matomų skirtumų. Panašumai pasireiškia tiek plagijuojant, tiek pažeidžiant autorines teises, dažniausiai be kūrinio autoriaus leidimo yra kopijuojami svetimi darbai, tiek plagiatas, tiek autorinės teisės yra susiję su kūrybiniu procesu, kūrinių originalumu, autorystės pripažinimu ir siekia apsaugoti autorius, kad jų kūriniai nebūtų naudojami netinkamai. Būtent dėl šių akivaizdžių panašumų tarp plagiato ir autorinių teisių pažeidimo, kai kurie asmenys šiuos du dalykus supainioja. Žmonės pažvelgę į šią klaidingo sutapatinimo problemą giliau, teigia atvirkščiai ir plagiato su autorinių teisių pažeidimu visiškai nesulygina. Jų manymu plagiatas nėra teisinis terminas ir nebūtinai reiškia autorinių teisių pažeidimą, tai daugiau etikos nusižengimas darantis žalą akademinių institucijų ar pavienių asmenų reputacijai, kenkiantis mokslo pažangai ir kurybiniam procesui. Remiantis tarptautiniais ir nacionaliniais teisės aktais, moksline literatūra ir teismų praktika darbe yra atskleidžiama plagiato ir autorinių teisių pažeidimo sampratos Lietuvoje ir užsienio šalyse bei nustatinėjamas santykis tarp plagiato ir autorinių teisių pažeidimo. Autorių teisės ir autorinių teisių pažeidimo sąvoka yra aiškiai apibrėžta įstatymuose, aprašyta mokslinėje literatūroje, teismų prakitkoje, LR ATPK ir BK, įstatymai suderinti su Europos sąjungos direktyvomis bei tarptautinėmis sutartimis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Copyright infringement and plagiarism have some clear similarities between them and deeper hidden, not so clearly visible differences. The similarities between plagiarism and copyright infringement are usually seen as copying someone’s work without permission from the author of that work, both are also concerned with the creative process and matters of originality and authorship. Both seek to prevent free riding on the work of others. Because of these obvious similarities plagiarism and copyright infringement are often confused. Scholars that study this problem of confusion say the opposite, they do not agree that copyright infringement and plagiarism are the same. They think plagiarism is not a legal term and does not necessarily imply a copyright infringement, it is more ethical misconduct that harms the academic institutions or individual's reputation, affecting the progress of science and the creative process. According to international and national legislation, the scientific literature and case law this thesis reveals the conception of plagiarism and copyright infringement in Lithuania and foreign countries and determines relation and intersection between copyright infringement and plagiarism. Author’s copyrights and copyright infringement are clearly defined by law, described in scientific literature, case law, Lithuanian penal and administrative codes and is in line with European Union directives and international treaties. However, plagiarism is not defined by law... [to full text]

This thesis aimed to examine the prevailing international intellectual property regime as embodied especially in the TRIPS Agreement, for purposes of outlining some of the criticisms levelled against it especially by the less developed world. The work aimed to illustrate how, despite the imperfections of the system, certain intellectual property rights could still be used strategically by African countries to bolster the entrepreneurial spirit, in the form of musical entrepreneurship for purposes of enhancing their international trade capacity.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2005. / Typescript. Includes appendices. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 201-214.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 244-254). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Bern. / Includes bibliographical references (p. xxv-xlvii).

Thesis (PH.D.)--Michigan State University. Rhetoric and Writing, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 11, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 349-368). Also issued in print.

Originally presented as part of dissertation, Texas Woman's University. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-78).