It is important to recognise copyright in order to prevent other people from trying to copy the original idea that is being protected by rights of law or any of it's features. This is frequently seen in big major companies such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola etc. where all their products are copyrighted and trademarked in order to prevent other companies from copying their ideas and forming their versions of the same products.
The intent of copyright law is to encourage creativity by giving creators the opportunity to ascribe value to (and theoretically earn a living from) their imagination and hard work. Eventually this enriches the public domain as protection expires.
Licensing copyrighted material is an important business to the economy; in 2010, the value added to the US GDP was more than $1.6 trillion, which represents more than 11% of the GDP (report linked below).
Copyright protection gives exclusive rights to the creator of the work, which means he or she can make money on it.
It depends on the nature of the company; some derive all of their income from licensing intellectual property.
It depends on the nature of the business. Some create copyrightable works, some use copyrighted works, and some exist entirely to negotiate agreements between the other two.
The specific law varies from country to country. In the US, it is the Copyright Act 1976; in the UK, it is the Copyright, Design, and Patents Act 1988.
Copyright law is a subset of Intellectual Property (IP) law.
The exact law varies from country to country. In the US, for example, it is US Code Title 17, the Copyright Act.
The copyright law of the country in which it was created would apply.
The first copyright law came into effect in 1710. Most laws are based on the Berne Convention, which was accepted in 1886. The date of the current law varies from country to country.
It varies from country to country. The first copyright law was written in England in 1709, and most contemporary laws are based on the Berne Convention of 1886.
It depends on the country. In the US, it would have been the 1831 Copyright Act.
It varies from country to country. In the US it is Title 17 of the US Code, and in Canada it is the Copyright Act 1985.
importances sources of maritime law
It varies from country to country, and also by your definition of a copyright law. In the US, in the strictest terms, the most recent copyright act was in 1976; however there is almost a steady stream of legislation that affects copyright.
This is a question highly dependant upon the country in which you wish to have a copyright protection. You need to check the schedules attached to the law dealing with copyright.
It varies from country to country. The most recent major change in US law was 1998.