International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

The origin of the term “piracy” dates back to the thirteenth century when rogue seamen who intercepted merchant and military vessels to rob them of their cargo were known as “pirates.” In the early eighteenth century, the term took on a new meaning, referring to the unauthorized use of intellectual property. Images of the swashbuckling pirate are still reproduced in → Popular Culture today: in movies (→ Film as Popular Culture), → Television programs, romance novels, and theme parks. By the late 1900s, the term had been loosened from its original meaning and become the primary descriptor of the unauthorized use of copyrighted works, patents, and trademarks (→ Trademarks in the Media; Copyright). By the early years of the twenty-first century, the most common usage of the term piracy had come to signify unauthorized uses of intellectual property via the → Internet and sale of CDs, DVDs, and computer software on the black market. While seafaring pirates pilfered material property to keep or resell, piracy of intellectual property involves the infringing appropriation of immaterial goods, including creative and intellectual works.The distinction between piracy of material goods and that of intellectual property is essential to the understanding of the term “piracy” and its actual practice. The theft of material goods deprived the owner of cargo or land that could not be recovered without ... log in or subscribe to read full text