Napster Ruling Won't Stop Net Music
A US court's ruling is likely to
stop Napster from providing users with free MP3 files of copyright
protected music, but isn't going to close freedom's door for those
artists who choose to bypass major publishing companies and directly
offer their own material on the World Wide Web, says law professor
Robert Howell, an expert in intellectual property and
technology.
"As long as artists have copyright on their material, they're at liberty to sell or give away their work on the web as they like," says Howell. "On the other hand nobody is allowed to make copies of work where ownership rights of others are clearly in place. If a company has produced a CD, they have copyright. If it's published by somebody else on the web, then that company has a legitimate complaint."
Howell notes that copyright law concerning fair dealing is far more strict in Canada than in the US and any ruling passed there regarding copyright is likely to find the same fate or worse in Canada.
"As long as artists have copyright on their material, they're at liberty to sell or give away their work on the web as they like," says Howell. "On the other hand nobody is allowed to make copies of work where ownership rights of others are clearly in place. If a company has produced a CD, they have copyright. If it's published by somebody else on the web, then that company has a legitimate complaint."
Howell notes that copyright law concerning fair dealing is far more strict in Canada than in the US and any ruling passed there regarding copyright is likely to find the same fate or worse in Canada.
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Media contacts
Professor font Howell (Law) at (250) 721-8186