International copyright laws set to hit the Net

Information posted on the Internet will soon be subject to copyright law. The 160 member nations of the World Intellectual Property Organisation agreed a package of treaties just before Christmas, following three weeks of discussions.

As soon as the rules are put in place in each country, the 100-year-old Berne Convention - the foundation of international copyright law - will be extended to cover work that appears in digital format.

The treaties address the electronic transmission of copyrighted work, temporary reproduction and the protection of databases.

Temporary reproduction rights, such as copying Web information on to a computer, have caused controversy.

Last month, US pressure groups campaigning for freedom on the Net slammed this proposal, claiming it constricted Internet use.

But the convention recognised that the temporary use and storage of software is protected under copyright law.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA), which campaigns against software piracy, does not believe that a temporary reproduction copyright will halt growth of the Internet.

A BSA spokesperson said: 'Temporary reproduction rights are protected by judicial decisions in the US and statutes in Europe, and the Internet is growing at a huge rate in both places.

'Any questions relating to the application of this right are more appropriately addressed by crafting an exception to the temporary reproduction right, rather than by eliminating the right in its entirety.'

BSA president Robert Holleyman said: 'The treaties leave ample room for national laws to adapt to changing circumstances. The treaties provide reassurances for authors who make their works available on the Internet.

These accords will ensure that the Net does not become a mere digital curiosity.'