INTRODUCTION DIGITIZATION OF INFORMATION
While the computer revolution has had wide effects, perhaps the most far reaching is the digitization of information. Traditionally, most information has been transmitted by graphic means, such as letters or drawings, or by waves, such as sound waves or electromagnetic signais. Computers can only operate on binary digits, so information must be reduced to such numbers if it is to be manipulated by a computer. Conversely, the development of inexpensive computing power has made it advantageous to transform many kinds of information to digital form for transmission. We have already seen the digital CD replace the analogue LP record, and telephone conversations are increasingly transmitted digitally. Digital radio is now in the stage of test transmissions. There are two main advantages of digitization; transmission takes place without degradation, which means that every copy is perfect, and copies can be made very quickly and cheaply so that a document could be sent to potentially millions of people for only transmission costs.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF COPYRIGHT
Copyright developed to deal with the analogue world. Historically, our present system of copyright grew out of attempts by the government to control the information revolution brought about by the development of printing. The right to print books was given exclusively to members of the guild of stationers, who were a recognized body with privileges which made them susceptible to government influence. When unlicensed publishing began to flourish, the guild members sought a law to prevent this. The Copyright Act 1709 gave the author and his assigns the exclusive right to print a book. The exclusive rights and the types of work protected gradually increased through a series of statutes, culminating in the present legislation, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
CYBERSPACE
Articles on the Internet or on the effects of the digitization of information usually contain a reference to 'Cyberspace'. The word was introduced into the language by the science fiction writer William Gibson in his 1984 novel 'Neuromancer'. The term describes the situation when some activity takes place entirely within a computer system or a network of such systems. Cyberspace is no longer confined to the pages of science fiction. In the commercial world, banking transactions now almost wholly take place in cyberspace; the only 'real' money left is the stuff in your pocket, and the use of such small change is continuing to decrease as we increasingly rely on credit cards and direct debit methods to pay for our purchases. The development of digital cash, such as the Mondex scheme, will further decrease the use of metal coins and paper notes in favour of information stored electronically. It can be seen that the Internet is one aspect of cyberspace. It is the growth of the Internet that is currently posing the greatest challenge to existing concepts of copyright. The Internet is a way of publishing information, which can include copyright works, instantaneously and with virtually no effort, to an enormous audience. The features of digital information described above, perfect copies made cheaply, are combined with cheap distribution to a potentially worldwide audience. While these features provide potential to enrich and empower the human race, they also provide a means for copyright infringement on a scale hitherto impossible.