{Replica} Copyright in the Digital Age: Book as a Stagecoach of the Future?

Digitization seems to change everything - and yet it's actually not that much different than it used to be, not even for publishers, for example copyright law. One Quote,

Publishing has changed drastically

Not only e-books and, for example, the Hegemann/Airen case show that publishing has changed dramatically in the age of the Internet. It affects authors, researchers, readers, libraries and publishers and has far-reaching implications for the status of Background, Art and culture in the Society and life. The rapid development of digital content and its distribution via the Internet and smartphones do not stop at the written word.

Unter dem Term "Open Access" scientists of all disciplines publish their research results without writing a book. However, the reports also show that current copyright law is constantly reaching its limits in the face of digitization and not like this fast can be updated as the technical development makes it necessary.

The value chain is broken

Some time ago I was on an exciting panel discussion. Topic: Social changes through the Internet as well Sinn and purpose of copyright.  Dr. Katja Mruck from the Center for Digital Systems of Freie University Berlin analyzed that the value creation process between authors as creators, publishers as distributors, libraries and bookstores and readers no longer works like this. In this context she spoke of the book as a stagecoach of Future: Mruck suspected that although people still buy books today, eg fiction, this last bastion of the printed word would also fall if better technical devices became available. As evidence, she cited how our reading habits have changed rapidly in recent years.

Mruck also reported on the many new opportunities that Open Access scientists have to publish free of charge and publicly on the Internet. The scientists actually don't do that much differently than they used to: write, assess, proofread. However, while earlier the finished script for expensive Money was given to a publisher who publishes the publication in a small edition, the same work can now be received worldwide for much less money.

Publishers on the defensive

The representatives of the publishers, Dr. Florian R. Simon, Managing Director (Shareholder) Duncker und Humblot Verlag and Eric Merkel-Sobotta, Executive Vice President Corporate Communication Springer Science and Business Media, on the other hand, came under pressure to justify themselves: they had to be asked about their right to exist. Publishers would have to voice im Audience, rethink their service, away from paid content models towards paid service.

The paid service model, briefly touched on, was unfortunately the only suggestion of the evening, how to make money with free knowledge to earn may be. In this regard, on the podium there was a little too much blame for my taste between the publishers' representatives on the one hand and Prof. Dr. Claudia Lux, Director General of the Foundation Central and Regional Library.

Creativity and marketing

After all, with the “Made to Create” competition series, Berlin wants the book and press market, film and radio industry, art market, telecommunications, software, game development, music industry, advertising market or design industry. This includes, for example, innovative marketing ideas.

The fact that all these new developments are actually not that new, showed the audience contribution of Regine Heidorn: They like to spend money on well-made books, she said, but also wanted to acquire digitally at the same time. And even more, then email these texts to friends who might be interested, or publicly comment on their blog. Because she has always done that, says Heidorn, even in the 80ern, when they copied book texts in the copy shop to give them to friends - only that these friends are just now scattered around the world.