Copyright issues and electronic document delivery

Copyright is a central issue when considering electronic document supply because actions seen as simple in themselves are technically complex and raise many legal issues. The basic concepts of copyright law apply whatever the situation but trying to map these onto the electronic situation can be difficult. Proposals from the European Commission to change the law will make the provision of document supply services even more difficult. The use of vehicles such as the WWW for delivering documents and information generally, whilst offering exciting opportunities, are full of obstacles. Recent legal cases give little reason for optimism in this area.