Contemporary challenges to the rights of the copyright holder

Abstract

Developments in technology have raised numerous copyright law issues. The shift from the analog to the digital platform, and the developments which were enabled as a result of this shift, created numerous issues of law and challenges to right holders. The International community and the EU have clarified some of these issues, particularly through the WIPO Internet Treaties and the InfoSoc Directive. Some issues, however, remain unclear. In particular, there are many uncertainties surrounding online practices which have recently become wide-spread, such as the creation and sharing of user-generated content, through popular WEB 2.0 applications such as Facebook and YouTube. Whilst there seems so be the need for at least some clarification in relation to such practices, copyright reform faces a number of obstacles, not least of which is the fierce opposition between those wielding different opinions on the manner in which copyright law is to fulfill its purpose. There are however, other solutions, discussed by some academics and stakeholders, which may furnish at least a partial, long-term solution to the issues raised by emerging technologies.