How does copyright relate to technology?

Answer 1

Technology makes transmission of copyright-protected materials cheaper and easier than ever before, meaning that copyright infringement is cheaper and easier as well. Copyright law has never kept pace with technological advancement, so it's often left to the user to try to decide whether a new way of using materials aligns with the intent of the law.

Answer 2

first you have to understand what copyright is, A sort of Ferderal protection against plagairism, not just with technology, but with many other things with brand names on them, like books. Copyright relates more directly with the consumer electronics that are made by private companies who want their trends, findings, slogans and such protected, down to the names of there products sometimes. Without copyright, many of the genuinely successful people would be get rich quick billboards for high profile criminals.

Answer 3

First, technology can be protected by intellectual property laws: a patent on a chip, copyright-protected code or software, and even video game character trademarks are all examples of this.

More contentiously, though, technology often offers cheap and easy ways to infringe on others' intellectual property rights. The many, many examples of this side of the equation include uploading a movie, reverse-engineering a trade secret recipe, or using Donkey Kong in an unlicensed way.

Answer 4

Copyright law is always well behind technology. It was developed in response to quicker and easier typesetting, refined to deal with player pianos and sound recording, and has struggled to keep abreast with digital advancements.

Notable controversies include:

• Universal/Betamax, which argued whether home videotaping of Broadcast Television constituted infringement
• A&M vs Napster, which determined that P2P networks were guilty of contributory infringement and vicarious infringement