TECHNOLOGICAL-CHANGE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND ACADEMIC-LIBRARIES -AN OUTLINE OF THE ISSUES - COMMENTARY

Observations are made from the perspective of an academic librarian wh o is concerned with both protecting the rights of intellectual propert y holders and ensuring the fair use of information for the creation of new knowledge and the common good The article comments on several fac tors related to intellectual property (political, economic, and cultur al contexts, time constraints, and the nature of software and cyberspa ce) that were contained in papers presented at a 1995 conference. The author concludes by recommending that a new legislative model be desig ned to address appropriately the complexities of intellectual property in the on-line environment.