Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-157). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-63).

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Legal Protection of Works of Copyright on Social Networks This thesis is focused on the legal aspects of the works of copyright protection on social networks. The thesis in its introduction defines the term of social network, in particular as the service of the internet service provider, and furthermore it deals with the nature of the contractual relation between the social network service provider and its user. The thesis deals with the definition of 'work of copyright' in relation to social networks, while the rights of the author to his or her work of copyright published on the social network are defined. Furthermore, the thesis deals with the possibility of rightful use of the works of copyright published on the social networks by other entities than authors of such works. The thesis defines the scope of the licences provided to the social network service provider, another users of the social network and the to another non-user entities. In relation to this the thesis is based on the terms and conditions of the currently largest social networks (in the first place it is Facebook, followed by Instagram and YouTube) that are establishing content of the contractual relationship between the social network and its user. In its final part the thesis deals with the legal aspects of an unauthorised use...

Internet and computer criminality Summary This thesis, as its name indicates, deals with the problems of our times associated with computers and the Internet, which make it possible to commit all sorts of crimes. Computers are part of our daily life and the sphere of information and communication technologies are constantly and rapidly developing, which gives space to potential perpetrators to find new approaches. The thesis is composed of eight chapters. The opening chapter of this thesis describes the basic concepts related to computer and Internet criminality. It includes the definitions of computer criminality, cybercrime, cyberspace, as well as basic technical concepts such as computer, hardware or software. Approximation of this terminology is essential to understanding the issue. Next chapter is devoted to some illegal activities in cyberspace, which are then legally assessed. The third chapter forms the most important part of the whole thesis because it describes in details the issue of copyright violations in connection with computers. At first it generally talks about intangible goods, and after that it acquaints to readers with piracy of audio and audiovisual works and later with software piracy. It shows the most important judgments that are connected to the discussed topic and were judged at...

The aim of this thesis is to present the issue of copyright infringement in cyberspace. I choose it because it is very dynamic and actual topic, connected with modern technologies. Sometimes the legislator is not able to react on new technologies properly, they are just too fast. From that reason in several chapters i am focusing on important court decisions. The work itself is divided into 7 chapters. The first chapter describes the difference between the Internet and Cyberspace. Subsequently, I define the Cyberspace and divide it into individual parts, which are described in more detail. This will allow us to better understand the space in which we are moving and what are the differences from the real world . The second chapter focuses on legal protection of copyright. It is internally divided into three parts. In the first, I am describing historical development of copyright and important international treaties. Then I am focusing on copyright on the level of European Union. Finally, I deal with domestic legislation. I explain how copyright in Czech republic looks like, and how is protected as well as how the work of authorship is protected by the criminal law. The whole chapter ends with an analysis of case law about damages by the Supreme Court. The third chapter explores digital right management....

Title: Intellectual Property Rights Infringements in Computer Networks Environment The focal point of the presented thesis is a description of relevant legislation and case law and an analysis of various kinds of liability. The legislation has been described starting on the level of international treaties, including the TRIPS Agreement and the WIPO Internet Treaties, through European directives and finally closing with the Czech national law, the Copyright Act in particular and other selected norms of both civil and criminal law. The thesis deals with foreign regulations in France and the United States known for their consistency in copyright protection. The Czech Supreme Public Prosecutor Office guidance note has been discussed shortly followed by an analysis of civil, administrative and criminal liability. Case law spans the decisions from the Czech Constitutional Court, Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court, then the European Court of Justice judgement in the Scarlett case and a several foreign decisions, especially Dutch judgements in matters of the professional association BREIN and the American Betamax case.

Higher education has experienced challenges defining and implementing copyright compliance. Confusion among faculty and staff appears to be common regarding copyright and fair use. The original copyright doctrine was drafted over 200 years ago, which predates practically all technological advances that have and will continue to occur. Change is slow and onerous with most legislation; there is not much possibility the small amendments made to the law will be able to keep pace with the continual technological evolution. Further, judges are citing precedents in court rulings of copyright disputes that were made using the best interpretation of the law, even though those earlier adjudicators had nothing concrete upon which to base decisions. The cycle of loose interpretations further exacerbates the copyright and fair use problem involving technology. Moreover, this concern has been magnified due to the digital nature of lesson delivery most learning institutions are adopting today. The rapid, widespread move toward online learning methods creates an entire set of copyright and fair use circumstances that extend beyond the traditional, face-to-face pedagogical issues. Invariably, schools will be left to attempt to decide what will be considered legal and safe, often by trial and error, until clearer, universally accepted guidelines can be created. A group consensus for best practice was achieved over three rounds of surveying with the help of a Delphi panel highly experienced in copyright laws. Opinions converged early during the process, where proper fair use assessment was one of the major themes appearing during the first round. Respondents also agreed future educators will undoubtedly continue to struggle with fully understanding the intricacies of fair use. An overall consensus reached for many questions was sufficient for answering the proposed research questions and drafting a list of recommendations for technological fair use. The outcome should add to the existing knowledge base, given the limited number of studies that have been conducted regarding the complexities of copyright topics in distance and online education. Recommendations for further investigations encourages researchers to continue where this effort ends to remain current and compliant with the ubiquitous changes in technologies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the various reasons consumers continue to infringe on copyrighted content, specifically in the South African context, even if the law forbids it. This investigation is two-fold since it also recognises that there are many individuals who do not infringe on copyrighted content even though they have access to peer-to-peer file sharing technology. This information could prove valuable since it can then be used to find comprehensive market-led solutions to the problem that targets the end-user. This study adopted a mixed method approach in order to cross validate findings and to reveal aspects of empirical reality. The target population for this study consisted of 100 adult South Africans who have access to the internet. Data was collected through an online, self-administered questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed through descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. The results show that there are variety of factors that influence respondents’ attitudes towards copyright infringement of films and/or television series through peer-to-peer file sharing technology, each of which is discussed in detail. The study concluded by identifying 24 factors that favourably influence people’s attitudes towards copyright infringement, including high prices of legitimate goods, historical inequality in South Africa, and perceived low risk of being caught and punished. Based on the conclusion above, the study recommends that policy makers such as government officials, boards of directors, managers, committees, and executives use the results of the study when making decisions and determining policies, especially in the South African context. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

This paper discusses the history and recent developments pertaining to ISPs' liability for copyright infringement in the European Union. Section I. explains ISPs' basic roles on the Internet, discusses practical grounds justifying a special liability regime for ISPs and outlines the EU legal framework providing safe harbor provisions for ISPs' liability and transposition of these rules into the legal system of the Czech Republic. Section II. describes how judicial decisions in the EU Member States eroded safe harbor rules and how these decisions were subsequently overturned by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJ). The section continues with an examination of the latest judgment of the CJ in UPC Telekabel Wien concerning new rules (or lack thereof) for website-blocking injunctions. Section III. discusses notable examples of EU Member states' legislation or legislative proposals which aimed to put a stop to "online piracy" and copyright infringement. Considerable part of this section analyzes the recent controversial system set up by the Italian communications regulator AGCOM. Section IV. describes examples of increasing voluntary collaboration between ISPs and content owners, which has the potential to effectively combat online piracy and benefit all parties involved. Section V. explores...