Abstract
The global copyright landscape has evolved in many respects over the past two decades, but the territorial nature of copyright law remains an important and often perplexing consideration for authors and publishers. Jurisdictions being subject to their own different copyright legislation, advances in digital technology, international publications and the advent of e-books have raised issues regarding the enforcement of copyright laws across jurisdictional borders. This changing publishing environment has impacted the application of copyright laws, with diverse opinions on the desirability of enforcing strict controls versus proponents of free models. It has also affected authors of printed books’ copyright protection, with some authors struggling to come to grips with breaches of copyright outside the protection of their own borders. Additionally, the extra-territorial publication of books is often in breach of authors’ jurisdictional copyright legislation, but difficult to address locally. This chapter deals with the copyright issues faced by authors and publishers in the digital sphere, as well as the difficulties associated with overseas publications of their books from a territorial perspective. It examines the effectiveness of territorial copyright protection in the digital economy, and considers whether the culture of the book may be eroded through the prevalence of extra-territorial publications. It also considers future developments in digital copyright protection, such as smart contracts and blockchain solutions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Publishing and Culture |
| Editors | Dallas Baker, Donna Brien, Jen Webb |
| Place of Publication | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Publisher | Cambridge Scholars Publishing |
| Chapter | 3 |
| Pages | 41-64 |
| Number of pages | 34 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 1-5275-2804-9 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-5275-2804-8 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2019 |