The Demise of Ownership: Digital Content in the Age of Licensing

Traditionally, sales of music, books, and movies involved the purchase of works embodied in material objects such as a CD, printed book, or DVD. Today, however, what are often called content “purchases” are in fact generally licenses that can leave consumers with significantly less control over content than in the past. This significantly alters the dynamics of markets, which have long benefited from the circulation of used works.

Key questions:

•Is ownership of content a vanishing concept?

•Should there be a “digital first sale doctrine”, or is that question moot in light of the move towards licensing?

•If there is a digital first sale doctrine, how can content owners be protected form proliferation of unauthorized copies of work?

•Should consumers be able to do with licensed content (e.g. loan it, resell it, etc.) what they have long been able to do with owned content?
•(Converse of the above questions) Should copyright holders be able to exert significant downstream control of content use?

•Are there differences across different media types (movies, music, books, etc.) that justify different approaches to the sale/license distinction -or, if licenses are used, to different licensing approaches?

All Public Policy for Innovation in the Digital Age panels are free. Registration is required. Seating will be first come, first served. Lunch will be served. Daily parking pass is $12. Pay-by-space parking is also available in Parking Structure SV.

http://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/events/demise-ownership-digital-content-age-licensing?utm_source=Public+Policy+for+Innovation+in+the+Digital+Age&utm_campaign=Dig+Tech+Music&utm_medium=email