Introduction to Intellectual Products

The copyright regime today appears to be troubled by many issues: How do you define a copy of a digital product while it moves through the digital environment? When is 'fair use' not fair? Should media companies be able to monitor every use of a copyrighted product? Will the same companies be forced out of business by pirating? How can we protect the free flow of information and still reward the artist? Is copyright up to the task?

As the authors of The Digital Dilemma have said:

“Given the challenges to the copyright regime posed by digital information, the committee concluded that alternatives to a copy-based model for protection of digital information deserve consideration,….”

In this paper I take a broad view of regulating intellectual property in the current and future digital environments. By analyzing the structure and forms of intellectual products and the rights individuals can claim to these products I am able to propose a system which would grant rights to all, both creators and consumers, and protect the flow of information for the whole of society. This will not involve replacing copyright but rather augmenting it with a new regime which creators can choose to use to publish and distribute their creative works.