The Piracy Gap: Protecting Intellectual Property in an Era of Artistic Creativity and Technological Change

Authors

Sherri L. Burr, University of New Mexico - School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1997

Abstract

This Essay explores what Mark Twain, Bill Gates, and Live Crew have in common with other artistic and informational pioneers. Their creative visions and works challenge society to develop new legal methods for regulating the artistic and technological expansion. As this Essay demonstrates, law follows technology, albeit slowly. The author predicts that the next twenty-five years will pose more challenges to intellectual property laws than the last fifty. As new forms of art are created, reflected in the case of rap music, and new forms of communication evolve onto the information highway, new methods of piracy will abound. The challenge for legal scholars, lawmakers, and technology creators is to narrow the piracy gap. When technology or the marketplace cannot combat theft, the law must shield intellectual property creators from the pirates who roam the information and other highways.

Publication Title

Willamette Law Review

Volume

33

Issue

1

First Page

245

Last Page

260

Recommended Citation

Sherri L. Burr, The Piracy Gap: Protecting Intellectual Property in an Era of Artistic Creativity and Technological Change, 33 Willamette Law Review 245 (1997).
Available at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/law_facultyscholarship/639