EVOLUTION OF COPYRIGHT LAW, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

Abstract

History has shown that copyright law was the product of a bitter struggle between private and public interests, reflecting a clash between economic and social goals. It was born in the wake of a technological revolution inspired by the invention of printing in Europe. The technological changes triggered profound social, economic, and cultural changes globally. Presently, digital technology with its potential for mass dissemination of information has catalyzed similarly profound societal developments. This paper therefore makes the assertion that time has come to rethink the fundamentals of copyright law as intangible property right, its evolution, and the scope of its coverage, exceptions and limitations, bearing in mind the contemporary needs of technological innovation, advancement, and revolution. This consideration of the evolution of copyright law in the past will conduce to a closer understanding of its condition at present, and to a clearer appreciation of its probable development in the future, at least, to ensure and guarantee the survival of this age long maxim, that "there is no right without a remedy†computer programs inclusive.