Copyright Laws and Digital Piracy in Music Industries : The Relevance of Traditional Copyright Laws in the Digital Age and How Music Industries should cope with the ongoing Piracy Culture

Abstract

The copyright laws formed in the publishing age in the eighteenth century have come a long way to the twenty-first century of the modern digital age. From the Statute of Anne in 1710 to Music Modernization Act in the U.S. and Article 17 in the European Union in 2018, several conventions held up until this date, but there are still issues or even more issues emerging in the music industries. On the other hand, digital technologies have been rapidly growing with the advent and access of the internet, which has dramatically reformed traditional music business models. Even after the successful shut down of Napster by RIAA, the music industries are continuously facing substantial economic losses every year due to evolving digital piracy.