Protecting intellectual property in Cyberspace

There is now a palpable tension between users and the providers of information on the Internet. The providers require measures to protect their property, and users desire `fair use' of the content they download from the Internet. Aside from a few militant Internet aficionados, most people agree that regulatory devices should be implemented to protect intellectual property on the Internet to, at least, a limited extent. Intellectual property owners can assert some control over their property on the Internet by lobbying for new, tighter, intellectual property legislation, and with technological devices. Both types of protection have flaws.