Tricky IP protection in the vast digital world

No one said protecting IP was easy.

With the digital world, difficult has become synonymous with nearly impossible.

Protecting Intellectual property on the internet has become virtually impossible, but is it necessary?Critics of Digital IP protection laws claim that the internet is an open-source platform, so digital protection will hinder, and ultimately ruin the internet’s greatest advantage – free sharing of information.

Discussion in class last week revolved around this very issue, and a large number of my peers agreed that as difficult as it may seem, IP protection is necessary in the digital world.Corporations, brands and individuals express their ideas, opinions and creative expressions via the internet – copyright and patent laws protect the original digital work of the user, which is increasingly becoming an extension of the users’ physical interactions. Corporations use their brand logos and their digital identity to engage with consumers. Without digital IP protection, this engagement would hold no credibility. Users upload and share creative works, without protection – these would inevitably be misused.

Critics and many many individuals will argue that this already occurs today. Fraudulence is rampant in the digital world, and it is increasingly becoming difficult to avoid these scams, so existing digital IP laws are either ineffective, or the means through which they are being enforced are ineffective.

Agreed, I would completely and undeniably agree that digital IP protection laws today are insufficient and ineffective. An appropriate solution seems impossible because of the density of user generated content, and the inability to filter content constantly over the web. However, this doesn’t mean we should stop trying – what seems impossible today may translate to a sophisticated web application that can scan and detect infringement of copyrighted content.

The key point is that we recognize the importance and the necessity for protection of digital content, and learn from the music industry upheaval to reduce fraudulent use of content.

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