| |
Extract of Disney’s Content Production and Distribution Holdings |
 |
Although the traditional media companies first steps into the digital sphere were fairly clumsy, they have quickly learned from their mistakes and continued to enlarge their Internet presence.  Time Warner now for instance operates about 130 Web-Sites (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/about/pubarchive/websites.html). Anyhow the stronger online-engagement of the big media conglomerates by 1998 has led to the establishment of a new pattern: "More than three-quarters of the 31 most visited news and entertainment websites were affiliated with large media firms, and most of the rest were connected to outfits like AOL and Microsoft." (Broadcasting and Cable, 6/22/98).
During the last years many of the smaller players in the field of digital media have been driven out of competition by the huge media conglomerates. This mainly is a result of the advantages that the commercial media giants have over their less powerful counterparts:
As engagement in online activities mostly does not lead to quick profits, investors must be able to take losses, which only powerful companies are able to.
Traditional media outlets usually have huge stocks of digital programming, which they can easily plug into the Internet at little extra cost.
To generate audience, the big media conglomerates constantly promote their Websites and other digital media products on their traditional media holdings.
As possessors of the hottest "brands" commercial media companies often get premier locations from browser software makers, Internet service providers, search engines and portals.
Having the financial resources at their disposition the big media firms are aggressive investors in start-up Internet media companies.
Commercial media companies have close and long ties to advertisers, which enables them to seize most of these revenues.
|
|
1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT)
The
1996 WIPO
Copyright Treaty, which focused on taking steps to protect copyright
"in the digital age" among other provisions 1) makes clear
that computer programs are protected as literary works, 2) the
contracting parties must protect databases that constitute
intellectual creations, 3) affords authors with the new right of
making their works "available to the public", 4) gives
authors the exclusive right to authorize "any communication to
the public of their works, by wire or wireless means ... in such a
way that members of the public may access these works from a place
and at a time individually chosen by them." and 5) requires the
contracting states to protect anti-copying technology and copyright
management information that is embedded in any work covered by the
treaty. The WCT is available on:  http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/diplconf/distrib/94dc.htm
 http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/diplconf/dis...
|
|
|
