intellectual property rights to the Internet

Internet has made intellectual property ("IP") rights more vulnerable to violations by every sector of society; business, students, and, of course, the committed copyright infringer.  Thus, those directly affected by copyright violations have resorted to alternative methods to manage intellectual property rights.   Those alternative methods are digital technology programs designed to control internet access and use of copyrighted material.    There is a range of companies currently offering a variety of digital programs for IP management, this is not news.  The extraordinary is the creativity found in some of these digital programs.  For instance, Digimarc, an American provider of IP management solutions, created a program called "Digital Watermark." This program is the digital equivalent of traditional chemical watermarks.

 Digital Watermark allows copyright owners to track distribution, access and payment of its material.  Bits of information are embedded in data codes that are imperceptible during normal use but readable by computers and software.  Digital watermarks may be used in audio, video, images, printed documents, music and any digital or analog format.  The watermarks are made very difficult to remove, and if removed, there would be a distortion of the IP material. 
Hence, comprehensive protection of IP portfolios should include both, legal means and digital technology management and solutions.  Legal means to protect IP rights on the Internet do not end after obtaining patents and copyrights.  Licensing and cross-licensing activities are required in the dynamic world of the Internet.   Then, technology management and solutions come in.  Knowing the topography of your IP portfolio facilitates selection of digital technology programs and management solutions.  These technology solutions should not be a concern for small businesses.  There are many affordable standard programs available in the market, including those designed by college students.  Indeed, even digital technology from foreign countries like India may prove valuable and inexpensive.  
      
The greatness of digital solutions to protect IP rights is that they are also covered by most countries' IP legislation.  The United States copyright law (17 USC), §120 prohibits circumvention of copyright protection systems.  §1201(a) specifically says: "no person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title."  17 USC §1201(b) even condemns the import, offer to the public, supply of and traffic in technology, services, parts or components thereof, and products designed, market or used to circumvent copyright protection systems.  This means US copyright laws not only prohibit the action of violating or circumventing digital protection systems but also the act of trading on these products.     

 In sum, it is fair to say that even though IP violations increased with the use of the Internet, protection of IP rights in this medium has not been neglected.  There are numerous kinds of digital management solutions to protect IP portfolios in addition to traditional legislative means, and those IP digital solutions even enjoy statutory protection.