Yesterday my essay on this topic was published as part of a Heritage Foundation Special Report on Saving Internet Freedom. The essay reviews threats to copyrighted works posed by the Internet and describes public and private essays to deal with Internet-related copyright infringement. The essay concludes as follows:
“A variety of approaches—many of which are private, voluntary initiatives requiring no new laws or regulations—have been deployed to combat online copyright infringement, and new ones are being developed. While these efforts have not eliminated infringement, which remains a substantial problem, they are having some success.
There is no “silver bullet.” Curtailing online infringement will require a combination of litigation tools, technology, enhanced private-sector initiatives, public education, and continuing development of readily accessible and legally available content offerings. As the Internet continues to develop, the best approach to protecting copyright in the online environment is to rely on existing legal tools, enhanced cooperation among Internet stakeholders, and business innovations that lessen incentives to infringe.”