If you are a writer or a performer who creates written works as part of your profession, it is important for you to remain abreast of the most relevant and important copyright laws, both in the United States and abroad.

The explosive growth of the Internet has raised many challenges in copyright protection. When it comes to copyright law and copyright protection, life on the Internet is rather akin to the lawless days of the Old Wild West. While there have been some successful efforts in curbing copyright violators online, a great deal of copyright infringement still occurs on the Net each day.

The area in which there has been some notable and widely publicized success in protecting copyright interests is online music, through so-called shareware services and file-sharing services. Due to new legislature and the aggressive actions in protecting the copyright interests of song writers, music producers, and performers, the music industry has curbed the high levels of music copyright infringement.

The problem with copyright infringement of other written materials, such as works of literary fiction, works of non-fiction and the like, has not been as directly addressed nor has it obtained the notoriety of music sharing. However, it remains a very real problem on the Internet. Many people anticipate that with Google's foray into book scanning, the problems with copyright infringement will expand on the Internet.

The other major development that impacts copyright law and copyright interest is the seemingly never ending debate to how long should the creator of a written work be able to claim an exclusive copyright. Writers and performers, naturally, want the period of exclusivity to extend for as long as humanly possible. Indeed, some of the people who make their living creating original works believe that exclusivity should attach indefinitely and survive the creator through an estate forever.

On the other hand, intellectuals and people dedicated to an open marketplace (which they believe must include intellectual property) want to shorten the exclusivity associated with copyright law. As an example, these individuals cite the manner in which patent law deals with new medications. Pharmaceutical companies invest millions and millions of dollars in developing medications. However, they only enjoy exclusivity under patent law for a relatively short period of time (a short period of time when contrasted with copyright law).