Digital library as an application of “Copymart”

The Internet functions as a huge digital library, which is open to us all. As the Internet rapidly grows and expands, this virtual library becomes real. The Web is surely the world´s libraries´ largest copying machine. We now see in the digital environment that two types of digital libraries are emerging and competing. The contrast between the Internet digital library and the digital library systems of traditional libraries is, however, outstanding with respect to dealing with digital material. Digital material is running around in the former, while digital technology is constantly causing economic, legal and institutional problems in the latter. I call this “the digital technology complex”. It is undeniable that digital works take on a new form of existence in the digital world. One might ask whether such works still enjoy copyright protection. As they are no more than binary code? Do they express any idea? Copymart is a market for dealing directly with copyrights. Copyright information is registered in the copyright market (CRM) and, because the copyright holders themselves provide the licensing terms with regard to use of their digital works, users in the CRM can find the copyright information they want and the licensing terms. Furthermore, Copymart also provides a market for digital works, viz. the copy market (COM)