| This study addressed the impact of eCommerce on intellectual property copyright laws and regulations. eCommerce self-regulatory efforts, technological restraints and standards are undergoing legal challenges. Qualitative research methodology based on content analysis procedures confirmed the hypothesis that if legal rules are not set and applied appropriately, digital technology has the potential to undermine the basic tenets of copyright laws and regulations. The study excluded analysis of domain names, patents, and trademarks issues. The data suggested that new intellectual property products will be primarily digital and will be delivered online.; The results support the hypothesis that adjustment in the U.S. legal system be made to respond to the new technological environment in an effective and appropriate way. Conclusions addressed anti-circumvention and copyright management information, fair use, temporary copies, first sale, and pre-emption to achieve a goal of maintaining the crucial balance between ownership and access rights for successful global eCommerce transactions. Recommendations for further research cover the areas of digital millennium copyright act, the rise of digital rights management technologies, standardization and copyright levies. |
