The Copyright Surveillance Industry
Creative works are now increasingly distributed as digital “content” through the internet, and copyright law has created powerful incentives to monitor and control these flows. This paper analyzes the surveillance industry that has emerged as a result. Copyright surveillance systems identify copyrig...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cogitatio
2015-09-01
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| Series: | Media and Communication |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/270 |
| _version_ | 1818014261012594688 |
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| author | Mike Zajko |
| author_facet | Mike Zajko |
| author_sort | Mike Zajko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Creative works are now increasingly distributed as digital “content” through the internet, and copyright law has created powerful incentives to monitor and control these flows. This paper analyzes the surveillance industry that has emerged as a result. Copyright surveillance systems identify copyright infringement online and identify persons to hold responsible for infringing acts. These practices have raised fundamental questions about the nature of identification and attribution on the internet, as well as the increasing use of algorithms to make legal distinctions. New technologies have threatened the profits of some media industries through copyright infringement, but also enabled profitable forms of mass copyright surveillance and enforcement. Rather than a system of perfect control, copyright enforcement continues to be selective and uneven, but its broad reach results in systemic harm and provides opportunities for exploitation. It is only by scrutinizing copyright surveillance practices and copyright enforcement measures that we can evaluate these consequences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:42:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4368067b4b0f4d6caf1a8ad0280b0a41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2439 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:42:46Z |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Media and Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-4368067b4b0f4d6caf1a8ad0280b0a412022-12-22T02:07:16ZengCogitatioMedia and Communication2183-24392015-09-0132425210.17645/mac.v3i2.270185The Copyright Surveillance IndustryMike Zajko0Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, CanadaCreative works are now increasingly distributed as digital “content” through the internet, and copyright law has created powerful incentives to monitor and control these flows. This paper analyzes the surveillance industry that has emerged as a result. Copyright surveillance systems identify copyright infringement online and identify persons to hold responsible for infringing acts. These practices have raised fundamental questions about the nature of identification and attribution on the internet, as well as the increasing use of algorithms to make legal distinctions. New technologies have threatened the profits of some media industries through copyright infringement, but also enabled profitable forms of mass copyright surveillance and enforcement. Rather than a system of perfect control, copyright enforcement continues to be selective and uneven, but its broad reach results in systemic harm and provides opportunities for exploitation. It is only by scrutinizing copyright surveillance practices and copyright enforcement measures that we can evaluate these consequences.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/270algorithmiccopyright surveillancecopyright enforcementidentificationinternet |
| spellingShingle | Mike Zajko The Copyright Surveillance Industry Media and Communication algorithmic copyright surveillance copyright enforcement identification internet |
| title | The Copyright Surveillance Industry |
| title_full | The Copyright Surveillance Industry |
| title_fullStr | The Copyright Surveillance Industry |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Copyright Surveillance Industry |
| title_short | The Copyright Surveillance Industry |
| title_sort | copyright surveillance industry |
| topic | algorithmic copyright surveillance copyright enforcement identification internet |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/270 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mikezajko thecopyrightsurveillanceindustry AT mikezajko copyrightsurveillanceindustry |