The Economic Logic of Copyright

Summary Current efforts in Congress to strengthen the copyright protection afforded databases should seriously concern all librarians but especially those in legal reference. The reliance on databases, primarily those of Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw, make the users of such services particularly vulnerable to the exercise of monopoly power that copyright grants. An understanding of the unique economic characteristics of “information” and its relation to the public domain is essential to evaluating the economic, let alone social-democratic, impact of current proposals. This paper argues “economic logic” in and of itself does not necessarily support the provision of stronger copyright in general and for databases in particular.