Excess copyright: How restrictive copyright legislation impedes technological innovation

Abstract

This paper explains how copyright laws being promoted by the USA are being used to prevent the development of open educational resources. This includes a brief history explaining the origins of copyright law leading up to the modern day conception of artistic creations as “intellectual property.” The concept of “stealing” is explored in relation to the sharing of copyrighted materials and the concepts of pirating and bootlegging. The role of the large copyright controlling companies is placed in context and the war on the public domain is highlighted along with an explanation of the rights of the users and how these rights are integral to the copyright concept. Finally arguments supporting the call for stricter protections for copyright controllers are exposed.