Copyright in computer-readable works
Roy G. Saltman · 1977
CONCLUSIONSIt is necessary to comment, however, (as Hurt and Schuchman imply) that many kinds of works are subject to copyright, and the importance of copyright for the creation of new works varies with the type of work.In particular, for scientific and technical research papers, copyright is typically of minor importance to the authors of such papers even though publication is very important to them.The remuneration to au- thors of research papers occurs indirectly through increased salary, improved job security, prizes, travel opportunities and prestige, but not typically from the sale of papers.failure, which is the ease of misappropriation through copying or plagiarism, is corrected through a public good, the Government protection of copyright.Note that if there were no inherent right in the copy, there could be no misappropriation, and consequently no implicit market failure.Thus, there would be no reason for Government intervention in the free market.Copyright is of importance to the publisher as well as the author.This is particularly true in the case of scientific journals.However, the fact of copyright carries with it no comparative value judgment of works so protected.The economic worth of a work is determined in the marketplace where remuneration for the author and/or publisher may (or may not) be obtained.Copyright is not a financial subsidy for authors nor was it ever meant to be.It is a tool through which an author or his assignees may earn an income in the marketplace, if they so choose to use the tool in that manner.ibid. , p. 154.