The right to distribute is one thing, the right to the idea is another.
It is quite possible that the Internet itself has spawned this idea of intellectual property as separate from tangible property in a quite real way. By viewing the Internet itself as basically intangible, in essence you cannot see the Internet only the result that is given on the screen, certainly has something to do with starting one thinking about this concept. In another enigma, the Internet is often used to violate the Intellectual property of another.
The marked increase in intellectual property theft, combined with the lack of deterrence provided by civil remedies, has led the federal government and most states to enact criminal statutes to prevent the theft of intellectual property and protect owners' rights. The federal government has made trademark and copyright infringement a priority. (Newman, Cai & Heugstenberg, 2007, p. 694)
Until recently Intellectual Property theft in the corporate realm was often difficult to prosecute. One of the biggest problems is that large companies often refused to publicize their involvement when someone has hacked into their system. By revealing that their systems have been compromised a company may subject itself to a loss of consumer confidence...
The WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) was initially devised to protect and help developing countries in this area. It has recently been involved in, "promoting the use of intellectual property rights (IPRs) throughout the global system as the best way to support economic development. (May, 2007, p. 162)
References
May, C. (2007). The World Intellectual Property Organization and the Development Agenda. Global Governance, 13(2), 161-168
Newman, D., Cai, M., & Heugstenberg, R. (2007). Intellectual Property Crimes. American Criminal Law Review, 44(2), 693-696
Smith, H.E. (2007). Intellectual Property as Property: Delineating Entitlements in Information. Yale Law Journal, 116(8), 1742-1765
Vaidhyanathan, S. (2005, Spring). Celestial Jukebox: The Paradox of Intellectual Property. American Scholar, 74, 131-134
Yang, D.W., & Hoffstadt, B.M. (2006). Countering the Cyber-Crime Threat. American Criminal Law Review,…
