Abstract

The impact of electronic technology on the intellectual property rights of artists is currently the subject of worldwide debate. We are at an important crossroads in defining intellectual property rights that will have a direct impact on the way we create and disseminate electronic art in the future. This paper takes a look at legal precedents involving copyright ownership and shows how current copyright legislation may not adequately protect the intellectual property rights of artists working with electronic media.

• Patricia Search (USA) is an associate professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY). She has had 16 solo exhibitions of her art and participated in over 90 international and national exhibitions. Her research in hypermedia interface design was acknowledged with a “Best Paper” award at the 1993 World Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia.