Piracy and Intellectual Property Theft in the Internet Era

Abstract

Stealing ideas is not something new, but stealing and transporting ideas in a massive amount has become possible in the era of the internet. Based on the frameworks of criminological theory/thesis, this chapter intends to elaborate intellectual property theft and piracy in cyberspace. Contemporary cases of intellectual property theft and piracy are used to illustrate the blurred line between victims and offenders. The impacts of related information technology should be carefully appraised, as more and more intellectual properties are in digital format.