Intellectual Property Rights In A Networked World: Theory And Practice doc

Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice Richard A. Spinello Herman T. Tavani Information Science Publishing TeAM YYePG Digitally signed by TeAM YYePG DN: cn=TeAM YYePG, c=US, o=TeAM YYePG, ou=TeAM YYePG, email=yyepg@msn.com Reason: I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document Date: 2005.01.19 23:26:03 +08'00' Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice Richard A. Spinello Boston College, USA Herman T. Tavani Rivier College, USA Hershey • London • Melbourne • Singapore Information Science Publishing Acquisition Editor: Mehdi Khosrow-Pour Senior Managing Editor: Jan Travers Managing Editor: Amanda Appicello Development Editor: Michele Rossi Copy Editor: Jane Conley Typesetter: Jennifer Wetzel Cover Design: Lisa Tosheff Printed at: Yurchak Printing Inc. Published in the United States of America by Information Science Publishing (an imprint of Idea Group Inc.) 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200 Hershey PA 17033 Tel: 717-533-8845 Fax: 717-533-8661 E-mail: cust@idea-group.com Web site: http://www.idea-group.com and in the United Kingdom by Information Science Publishing (an imprint of Idea Group Inc.) 3 Henrietta Street Covent Garden London WC2E 8LU Tel: 44 20 7240 0856 Fax: 44 20 7379 3313 Web site: http://www.eurospan.co.uk Copyright © 2005 by Idea Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be repro- duced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Intellectual property rights in a networked world : theory and practice / Richard A. Spinello, Herman T. Tavani, editor[s]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-59140-576-9 (hardcover) ISBN 1-59140-577-7 (pbk.) ISBN 1-59140-578-5 (ebook) 1. Intellectual property. 2. Right of property. 3. Copyright and electronic data processing. 4. Locke, John, 1632-1704 Views on property. I. Spinello, Richard A. II. Tavani, Herman T. K1401.I566 2005 346.04'8 dc22 2004003761 British Cataloguing in Publication Data A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. All work contributed to this book is new, previously-unpublished material. The view expressed in this book are those of the authors, but not necessarily of the publisher. For our spouses, Susan Brinton and Joanne Tavani Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice Table of Contents Foreword vi Preface ix SECTION I: OVERVIEW Chapter I Intellectual Property Rights: From Theory to Practical Implementation 1 Richard A. Spinello, Boston College, USA Herman T. Tavani, Rivier College, USA S ECTION II: THEORETICAL P ERSPECTIVES Chapter II Intellectual Property Rights in Software — Justifiable from a Liberalist Position? Free Software Foundation’s Position in Comparison to John Locke’s Concept of Property 67 Kai Kimppa, University of Turku, Finland Chapter III Locke and Intellectual Property Rights 83 Michael J. Scanlan, Oregon State University, USA Chapter IV Ideas, Expressions, Universals, and Particulars: Metaphysics in the Realm of Software Copyright Law 99 Thomas M. Powers, University of Virginia, USA S ECTION III: ETHICAL AND L EGAL P ERSPECTIVES Chapter V Exporting Trademark Confusion 113 Ann Bartow, University of South Carolina, USA Chapter VI Feminism and Copyright in Digital Media 161 Dan Burk, University of Minnesota, USA Chapter VII Recent Copyright Protection Schemes: Implications for Sharing Digital Information 182 Herman T. Tavani, Rivier College, USA Chapter VIII Trespass and Kyosei in Cyberspace 205 Richard A. Spinello, Boston College, USA Chapter IX New Threats to Intellectual Freedom: The Loss of the Information Commons through Law and Technology in the US 225 Elizabeth Buchanan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA James Campbell, Modular Media, USA Chapter X Would Be Pirates: Webcasters, Intellectual Property, and Ethics 243 Melanie J. Mortensen, Montreal, Canada About the Authors 275 Index 278 vi The rapid development of the “knowledge economy” has temporarily stalled, but few doubt that it will soon be getting a second wind. This new economy, in which a company’s major resources are its intellectual assets, has undoubtedly moved the topic of intellectual property into sharp focus for de- cades to come. The notion of intellectual property rights, opposed by many cyberspace libertarians, triggers many elusive questions about the extent and precise nature of those rights. For example, the digital music and movie revo- lution has swept across the Web, and yet many of the vexing issues raised in the Napster case remain unresolved. Network and digital technologies also have the potential to usher in a new era of decentralized creativity and public discourse. These technologies have made it so much easier to accomplish the distribution of creative mate- rial. So why shouldn’t we celebrate this new found freedom? Some critics maintain that the traditional property rights system, which tends to “propertize” all forms of information, will interfere with the realization of this ideal. On the other hand, how can we protect the rights of artists and content providers to distribute their creations and receive appropriate pay- ment without preserving traditional copyright law? Of course, intellectual property issues are not confined to the sharing of digital music files. It is not surprising that access to digital information is be- coming a matter of great social and economic import. Poorer countries ac- cuse wealthy nations of “information imperialism,” contending that they can- not overcome the digital divide unless intellectual property rights are loosened considerably. As a result, the battle rages over whether intellectual property should be given strong or weak protection or perhaps no protection at all in the digital realm of cyberspace. Foreword vii Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World seeks to provide some fresh perspectives on this theme by presenting diverse papers that cover both theoretical and practical concerns. This book is based primarily on pa- pers that were delivered at the Sixth Annual Ethics and Technology Confer- ence that was held at Boston College in late June, 2003. These conferences, sponsored by a group of American Jesuit universities, date back to 1996 when the Internet’s social challenges were just becoming apparent. At the 2003 conference, a joint effort organized by the Carroll School of Management and the Boston College Law School, information technology professionals, ethi- cists, and legal scholars from all over the world came together in order to grapple with some of the more thorny ethical problems that have great sa- lience for the knowledge economy. There were sessions devoted to the seemingly esoteric theories of phi- losophers such as John Locke and G.W.F. Hegel. These theories have shaped the debate about the moral primacy of property rights, and the writings of these thinkers can still be mined for valuable insights. Thus, included in Sec- tion II of this volume are papers that consider the relevance of Locke’s phi- losophy as a grounding for intellectual property rights. Also included is a theoretical discussion of the problems inherent in distinguishing an idea from its expression, which relies on the ontological distinction between universals and particulars. That dichotomy is a crucial but unsettled element in modern copyright law, and the confusion is reflected in the philosophical debate over this matter that dates back to Plato. In addition, more pragmatic issues were hotly debated at the confer- ence. These issues included the scope of trademark rights over domain names used in cyberspace, the development and control of digital media, trespass in cyberspace, the ethical acceptability of copying software for one’s friends, appropriate policies for webcasting technology, and the role of policy makers in promoting the use of open source software. Many of these topics are discussed in the papers included in Section III. Finally, to round out the collection, this book opens with a comprehen- sive introduction that enunciates the fundamental issues underlying the evolu- tion of intellectual property protection in cyberspace. This essay has been written by the two editors, Richard A. Spinello and Herman T. Tavani, and it will be an invaluable resource for every reader. It carefully considers the traditions supporting intellectual property rights along with the perspectives of those who contest those rights. Postmodernist scholarship, for example, ques- tions concepts of authorship and originality, while some legal scholars point to the indeterminacy of traditional property theories. But Spinello and Tavani conclude that there is a case to be made for a regime of moderate intellectual viii property protection that spurs creativity and innovation without disrupting the integrity of the public domain. If this is the reader’s first plunge into these complex issues he or she may find that the waters are difficult to navigate. The introduction, however, should make the task of navigation much easier. Of course, all of the questions raised in the introduction and in the succeeding chapters deserve more debate and discussion. But the insights offered by each one of these authors are sure to be of great assistance to anyone daring enough to explore these uncharted waters. John J. Neuhauser Academic Vice President & Dean of Faculties Boston College ix In his Foreword, Dr. Neuhauser explained the origin of the essays in this book along with the book’s general structure. Nonetheless, a few prefatory remarks are in order. Despite the centrality of intellectual property issues in our networked society, ethicists and other scholars outside the legal commu- nity have not sufficiently given this topic the attention that it truly deserves. With that in mind, we have collected in this volume some recent essays that attempt to fill this void by offering some insights and perspectives on these controversial issues. The tripartite division of the book is designed to make this material more accessible and intelligible to readers of diverse backgrounds. Section I con- sists of a single essay that provides a broad overview of the main themes in intellectual property scholarship, such as normative intellectual property theory and the legal infrastructure for property protection. This essay also includes a cursory review of the main legal disputes that have shaped the current debate about property in cyberspace. For the uninitiated, this chapter will be an indispensable guide for what is to follow. Section II presents several essays that are intended to deepen the reader’s understanding of intellectual property theory and show how it can help us to grapple with the proper allocation of property rights in cyberspace. Particular attention is paid to Locke’s seminal theory of property, including the question of whether a property right can be construed as a natural right. Section III further develops the themes in Section II but in greater detail and with a more practical orientation. For the most part, the essays in this section illustrate the costs and benefits of applying property rights to cyberspace. While intellectual property rights create dynamic incentive ef- fects, they also entail social costs, and they are sometimes in tension with the development of a robust public domain. The reader may find some redun- dancy between the introductory section and the subsequent chapters on Locke, Preface [...]... granting of property rights in general, and we ask whether those rationales can be extended to the realm of intellectual objects Theories of property introduced by Locke and Hegel, as well as utilitarian philosophers, are summarized and critiqued This sets the stage for reviewing the case against intellectual property We reject that case and claim instead that policy makers should aim for balanced property. .. philosophers argue that intellectual property rights are not a natural entitlement or a matter of natural justice Rather, they should be awarded purely for pragmatic purposes as a means of inducing creative or inventive activity This line of reasoning is echoed in influential cases such as Wheaton v Peters (1834), which denies that an author’s intellectual property rights in published works are a matter of common... through intellectual property law” (p 105) Capitalism assimilates creative labor in order to gain control over these desirable intellectual objects Intellectual property law, therefore, performs a disservice by commodifying intellectual objects and creative labor and by integrating them into the capitalist structure According to this line of reasoning, society would be better off with a system that avoided... commodification of intellectual and creative works, so that they are not alienated from their actual creators and openly available to anyone This system would encourage and reward the sharing of information and the advancement of scientific knowledge Contemporary critics of intellectual property rights such as Martin (1995) argue that these rights lead to unjustifiably harmful consequences such as the... structures and endows that discourse with some measure of originality and uniqueness When, for example, Jane Austen narrates a tale about marriage and love in early 19th Century England, this “discourse” has distinct qualities thanks to her intentional use of language in a certain way and with a certain style The true artist or great novelist could never be reduced to an impersonal or passive purveyor of shapeless,... secondary liability for copyright infringement be invoked? And finally what can moralists bring to this debate that so far has been dominated by legal scholars? We begin with a conceptual background on the nature of intellectual objects INTELLECTUAL OBJECTS Property is a dynamic concept, which has evolved dramatically since the 18 Century Originally, it referred exclusively to land but eventually it was... suggests that property rights cannot be awarded unless the author creates things that are “capable of possession under the law.” English natural law, therefore, along with Locke’s important proviso, can be interpreted to support a robust public domain along with individual property rights in concrete intellectual objects We can affirm that a creator’s mental labor leads to the production of intellectual objects... Lockean framework, a Hegelian approach to intellectual property has notable shortcomings Once again we are confronted with the difficulty of defining and quantifying self-expression if we want to use it as a basis for granting intellectual property rights To what extent does expression of one’s personality justify increased property protection? What happens if inventions, reflecting the personality... ownership is an incentive that encourages people to behave in certain ways that will increase socially valuable goods The utilitarian argument for intellectual property rights is equally straightforward: those rights are necessary to maximize social utility by providing authors, inventors, and other creators with rewards for their work Without those rewards, which in the Anglo-American system take the form... for intellectual property that have been provided by our legal system: copyright laws, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets Finally, recent litigation, including the Napster, Grokster, Microsoft, and DeCSS cases, are critically examined Many of the issues and controversies introduced in this chapter are explored and analyzed in greater detail in the subsequent chapters of this book The three chapters . Intellectual Property Rights in a Networked World: Theory and Practice Richard A. Spinello Herman T. Tavani Information Science Publishing TeAM YYePG Digitally. a single essay that provides a broad overview of the main themes in intellectual property scholarship, such as normative intellectual property theory and