Date of Completion

12-2009

Thesis Advisor(s)

Richard Langlois

Honors Major

Economics

Disciplines

Economics | Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law | Intellectual Property Law | Internet Law | Law

Abstract

As digital storage of intellectual goods such as literature and music has become widespread, the duplication and unlicensed distribution of these goods has become a frequent source of legal contention. When technology for production and replication of intellectual goods advanced, there were disputes concerning the rights to produce and duplicate these works. As new technologies have made copies of intellectual goods more accessible, legal institutions have largely moved to protect the rights of ownership of ideas through copyright laws. This paper will examine key changes in the technology that affect intellectual property, and the responses that legal institutions have made to these changes in technology.

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