Copyright Infringement in Cyberspace and Network Security : A Threat to E-Commerce

The growth of information and digital technology has rapidly increased the number of internet users. Many countries, including India, have enacted legislations to regulate the activities related to Internet. The Government of India has passed Information Technology Act in 2000 and further amended it on October 27, 2009, which gave fillip to cyber law. Though the amended Act contains considerable changes, the issues such as copyright, payment issues, media convergence, domain name, cybersquating and jurisdiction still remain unsolved. Infringement over Internet and piracy of copyrighted works are considered as big threats hampering the growth of the Internet, e-commerce and digital economy. Dissemination of computer virus, hacking and disabling the network system are still the challenging tasks for corporate houses, service providers, and the internet users. This paper suggests that there is a need for an appropriate legislation, policies and strong legal institutions to effectively enforce cyber laws for the promotion of e-commerce and reduction of copyright related disputes