PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
AUTHOR – DEVYANSHI SHEKHAWAT, STUDENT AT UNITEDWORLD SCHOOL OF LAW, KARNAVATI UNIVERSITY
BEST CITATION – DEVYANSHI SHEKHAWAT, PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, ILE MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, 4 (1) OF 2025, PG. 934-940, APIS – 3920-0007 | ISSN – 2583-7230.
ABSTRACT
The protection of intellectual property (IP) in the digital age has become a critical concern, particularly due to the rapid growth of unauthorized copying and distribution of digital media. Since 1996, significant technological advancements have been made to safeguard digital content, focusing on methods such as digital watermarking, cryptography, electronic marking, and digital signatures. These technologies help prevent unauthorized access, reproduction, and distribution of digital works. Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems have been developed to enforce these protections, using techniques like access control, encryption, and digital watermarks. While DRM offers substantial security for content creators, it also raises concerns regarding its impact on innovation and fair use, particularly in academic and creative environments.
In India, the Copyright Act of 1957 was amended in 2012 to include DRM provisions, although enforcement remains less robust compared to countries like the US. The challenges of DRM in balancing copyright protection with public access are evident, especially regarding issues like sharing e-books and photocopying for educational purposes.
Emerging technologies, particularly blockchain, offer promising solutions for digital rights management by providing a decentralized and immutable ledger. Blockchain enables proof of ownership, supply chain management, and anti-counterfeiting measures, creating a secure environment for content creators to track and protect their works. Despite the advancements in DRM and blockchain, the balance between protecting creators’ rights and promoting innovation remains a crucial issue for ongoing legal and technological development in digital content protection.