It has become the practice to claim copyright protection for virtually every piece of 'writing'or its electronic equivalent, created by knowledge professionals - from businessplans for a start-up company to the instruction manual for use of a motorized saw and tospecifications for pipeline tenders.This paper posits that the legal doctrine of copyright was never intended, and is notequipped, to regulate the very building block of our society-information. When used toprotect utilitarian information products (UIW) en masse, copyright can impede the flowof information necessary for innovation, foster waste in the form of redundant creationand adversely impact competition in the market.
show more 
show less