How long does it take for copyright law to catch up with technology? That question heads a new research paper from The Copyright Society, a 1,000-member nonprofit established in 1953. (It’s a free download HERE.
Bill Rosenblatt
More specifically, the paper is composed by Bill Rosenblatt, and Howie Singer, co-authors of Key Changes: The Ten Times Technology Transformed the Music Industry.
Howie Singer
It starts with an admission: “Over the past century it has become a truism that the law takes too long to catch up with advances in technology.” And it frankly recognizes that the lag might worsen with the advance of AI, which disrupts ownership definitions in many creative industries. The paper covers six formats: phonographs, radio, tape, file-sharing, interactive streaming, and user-generated content services (think of YouTube). There’s a valuable review of history to start (Edison), with meticulous footnoting.
The paper comprises 46 pages. (The pagination shows hundreds because the screenshot article is in a large journal.) The historical narrative is fascinating. For those not in the mood to read, the chart below admirably conveys a timeline of technology and legal actions.
The article is freely available HERE.