Prior to digital storage and the internet, the nature and architecture of the storage of information made access difficult and copying relatively arduous and time consuming. In the 21st century, information of all types is created, shared and, significantly, reproduced digitally. Material placed online is subject to unrestricted reproduction. The demand for all forms of information is a vast opportunity for order and structure – and for exploitation. The sheer number of users, and their voracious appetites, leads to increased supply. This is demonstrated by the vast number of websites which have emerged to reproduce material subject to copyright, and the almost complete disregard for the law by individual users.

The internet facilitates the swift reproducing and exchange of digital material. Hyperlinking and framing can offer new possibilities for infringement of copyright. Works protected by copyright, such as music and videos, can be easily transferred in peer-to-peer dealings. Such transfers have become the target of copyright owners. This chapter explores these issues and developments and the relationship between copyright and electronic commerce. It is not intended to state the law relating to copyright, other than via a brief overview. The advent of electronic commerce and the internet have necessitated a rethink of intellectual property issues by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the courts and the legislature. The proliferation of material on the internet – written, aural and graphic – has posed new questions and resulted in the creation of new rights internationally.