Copyright in the Cultural Industries

A great deal has been written on the theoretical aspects of copyright and the cultural industries but much less on the applied side - how copyright law works in practice. How do lawyers, firms and artists manage and administer copyright and what economic and legal problems does this raise? In recent times in particular, technological inventions appear to have outpaced the development of copyright law. This illuminating book addresses these issues and looks at the serious implications for copyright policy in the future.

Several of the authors question the efficacy of copyright, which is increasingly regarded as benefiting multinational organisations rather than individual authors and performers. Others are less critical of copyright per se, but question its ability to meet the new challenges of a digital era. Some of the specific issues covered include:

• law and international transactions of copyrighted material
• economic analysis of copyright and freedom of expression
• music licensing in the digital age
• the role of copyright in stimulating cultural development
• internet distribution of copyright material
• the problems of licensing museum images.

International in scope and offering views from both academics and practitioners, this book will interest and inform economists, lawyers and policymakers alike. Commercial managers and business analysts involved with copyright would also benefit from reading this comprehensive yet accessible book.