Do the same copyright laws apply to electronic information as print information?
THE SAME LAWS APPLY. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO USE A COPYRIGHTED WORK IN PRINT, YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO USE IT IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT. In general, one should treat electronic information with the same consideration as print, audiovisual, or other information when it comes to copyright. However, there are some unique qualities about electronic information that stretch the boundaries of the 1976 copyright law which was designed more for the print environment. That is why Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (PL 105-304), which updates the law to deal with several important issues in the digital environment. This was signed into law by the president on October 28, 1998.
