The effects of the internet on intellectual property rights

Protecting your intellectual property in California has gotten a bit more difficult as technology has advanced. The internet has opened doors to allow people to easily copy and reproduce your material without permission. At Millstone, Peterson & Watts, LLP, we understand that protecting your property is essential to ensuring only you are able to profit from what is rightfully yours. However, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date on the laws and on the risk because they both are constantly changing as technology evolves.

According to ITU News, piracy, which is the unauthorized use and sales of your intellectual property, is a common issue online and one that most threatens your rights. The music industry faced some very public struggles with this issue involving peer-to-peer file sharing. The film industry also has had similar issues. People simply copy the content and then share it, making those who own the rights to it lose out on possible revenue. New laws had to be created to deal with these problems.

Social media sites also are a cause for concern because they make it very easy for people to post and share content that may not belong to them. New systems were created to help stop people from taking your content and using it, including search engine procedures that even prevented searching for copyrighted materials.

Patents, trademarks and copyrights are all at risk on the internet. However, regulations are being implemented by governments, individual websites and other authorities to ensure that your intellectual property is being protected to the fullest extent. To learn more about intellectual property rights, visit our website.