Google has recently made a submission to the Australian Govt. which practically challenges the logic of treating the creator of content as the rightful beneficiary of copyright protection.

It should come as no surprise that this submission comes from one of the world's largest Internet intermediary company, which routinely distributes content without prior permission of its rightful owner !

Right to Copy
From the beginning, copyright laws have treated the creator of content as the owner of the content - bestowing them with complete control of their creation. The law was based on the assumption that nobody should be permitted to make a copy without the express permission of the creator. And the law addressed the exceptional cases where copying was to be permitted.

But all this was before digital content and the Internet. Or more accurately Google.

"Fair Use"
In its submission to the Australian lawmakers, Google advocates the concept of "fair use" as it is implemented in U.S.A. & U.K. It also mentions that this concept is not one-sided, i.e. that U.S. courts are know to protect copyright owners adequately.

Waxing eloquent on the need to allow "later authors & innovators to build upon the works of their predecessors", Google shows concern about the very future of creativity & innovation in Australia.

Given that it needs to "cache" humongous amounts of copyrighted material, data & web pages for its Search Engine operations alone, Google's position is understandable. However, what needs to be decided is what really constitutes a violation of copyright and to what extent "fair use" of copyrighted material is fair. (From all angles of course, not just Google's.)


Final Words
In conclusion, Google has warned Australia that if its copyright laws could "hamper the introduction of new technology" and prevent "Australia from becoming a world leader in internet-based businesses".

Meanwhile, Google has admitted to U.S. regulator (SEC filing on November 9, 2006) that there is a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google Video. And that this is in addition to a number of other copyright claims connected to Google Web Search, Google News, Google Video, Google Image Search, and of course, Google Book Search.

Suddenly, Google's stand on Copyright Laws seems quite in tune with its current (precarious) position !

Meanwhile ...
On the media front, television channels continue to proliferate. Content owners seem keen on using multiple modes of distribution. IPTV threatens to roll out all around the world. While the radio medium continues to grow in developing markets. And newspapers & niche magazines continue to co-exist with electronic media.

Even as governments modify media related laws everyday !