What Information Means - Essay Example

Running Head: WHAT INFORMATION MEANS What Information Means Seema Mehra 1st May 2007 Information is power however it needs to be managed and retrieved in a fashion that preserves its integrity and consistence. This dissertation throws light on the various aspects of Information and its penetrations. The openness of information, propagation outlook towards its retrieval and classification according to its access and usage is our primary consideration. Restricting it, would pose a negative approach to self growth and development of humanity. The Intellectual property rights are also enforced along with. Introduction The question of whether Information should be made free entirely depends on the various schools of thoughts adopted for its distribution. If information is both an output and an input for intellectual flourishing, and intellectual property rules limit access to information as a consequence of conferring control, then intellectual property rights can be self-defeating. Without access to information (inputs), development (output) will suffer. (Wagner, 2005) Thus, the critics emphasize the existence of "open" information (information not subject to proprietary rights, offering anyone access, anytime, for low or no cost) as a critical source of the informational inputs necessary for creative and technological progress which literally promotes the growth of humanity. The notion of Information helps us to answer some of the biggest questions which will be discussed in the later part of the dissertation. History of Information Information is not only collection of knowledge but its organisation for efficient storage and retrieval. The impetus for development of information science can be traced to an article almost half a century ago by Vannevar Bush, one of the most influential scientists of the era (Bush, 1945). In this historic article Bush did two things: (l) succinctly defined a critical problem that was on the minds of many for a long time, and (2) proposed a solution that was a "technological fix," in tune with time and strategically attractive. The problem was (and in its basic form still is) "the massive task of making more accessible a bewildering store of knowledge." (Saracevic, 1995) This is the problem of "information explosion," coupled with necessity to provide availability of and accessibility to relevant information, acute to this day. The reason for evolution of digital libraries was to use emerging information technology to combat the problem. But he went even further: he proposed a machine named "Memex", incorporating in his words "association of ideas", that will duplicate "mental processes artificially. "Ideas that will govern information science and artificial intelligence are quite evident. Memex never became a reality, but to this day R&D efforts in a number of fields have similar goals, to address the same problem of "bewildering store of knowledge." Information explosion is a social problem that started in science, and now has spread to every human endeavor. Justification for engaging massive efforts and resources to the problem was and still is strategic importance of information, first for work and progress in science, and now for everything else in modern human society, nationally and globally. Information Retrieval Information retrieval embraces the intellectual aspects of the description of information and its specification for search and also whatever systems, techniques or machines that are employed to carry out the operation (Mooers, 1951). Technology has skyrocketing abilities to get the job done but information storage has a background in this. Unless information is stored well it cannot be retrieved and is equal to restricting the information. Of the many changes and improvements probably the most significant is that Information Retrieval systems now provide for a high degree of interaction, with all the accompanying implications and problems of human-computer interaction. The basic problem of understanding information and communication, their manifestations, effects and human information behavior, and the applied problem of "making more accessible the bewildering store of knowledge", particularly including the attempts at technological "fixes," cannot be resolved within any one discipline. (Saracevic, 1995) Should Information be free It gets really tough to answer whether information should be free or not. On one hand information cannot be restricted as it is a hindrance to social and human growth. On the other hand the intellectual property rights should be enforced so that work of others must be protected, not because of the fear of getting stolen but to continue that great effort and to boost the passion of creating something new and bringing the innovativeness to earth. Information needs propagation and not distribution as it can be transferred without leaving the possession of the original owner. If I sell you my horse, I can't ride him after that. If I sell you what I know, we both know it. (Barlow, 1994) Information is Life form What is precisely means that information changes over time and evolves to get better. If ideas and other interactive patterns of information are indeed life forms, they can be expected to evolve constantly into forms which will be more perfectly adapted to their surroundings. And, as we see, they are doing this all the time. But for a long time, our static media, whether carvings in stone, ink on paper, or dye on celluloid, have strongly resisted the evolutionary impulse, exalting as a consequence the author's ability to determine the finished product. But, as in an oral tradition, digitized information has no "final cut." (Barlow, 1994) Digital information, unconstrained by packaging, is a continuing process more like the metamorphosing tales of prehistory than anything that will fit in shrink-wrap. From the Neolithic to Gutenberg, information was passed on, mouth to ear, changing with every retelling. The stories which once shaped our sense of the world didn't have authoritative versions. They adapted to each culture in which they found themselves being told. The story simply passed through each of them on its way to the next, where it would assume a different form. As we return to continuous information, we can expect the importance of authorship to diminish. Creative people may have to renew their acquaintance with humility. But our system of copyright makes no accommodation whatever for expressions which don't become fixed at some point nor for cultural expressions which lack a specific author or inventor. Information Exclusivity has value The problem with a model that turns the physical scarcity/value ratio on its head is that sometimes the value of information is very much based on its scarcity. Exclusive possession of certain facts makes them more useful. If everyone knows about conditions which might drive a stock price up, the information is valueless. But again, the critical factor is usually time. It does not matter if this kind of information eventually becomes ubiquitous. What matters is being among the first who possess it and act on it. While potent secrets usually don't stay secret, they may remain so long enough to advance the cause of their original holders. Intellectual property rights Intellectual property is a term that has recently come into extensive use, and is often used without definition (Brown and Rushing, 1990; Miller, 1979), or defined as that which is covered by patent, copyright or trademarks (Rozek, 1990). Abbott (1990, p. 312) states that intellectual property rights are ". . . the legally protected property interests individuals possess in the fruits of their intellectual endeavors" while Sherwood (1990) views intellectual property as a compound of the results of private activity (ideas, inventions and creative expression) and the public willingness to bestow the status of property on these results. An excellent summary of various approaches to rights is provided by Waldron (1984) who elaborates rights theories as being of two kinds, those based on some perceived intrinsic quality (natural rights theories) or on some value that a society wishes to achieve (utilitarian theories). Most modern jurists recognize that the legal system includes rules that allow individuals to harm others without redress, and therefore reject the meta-theory of liberalism, accepting that "to the extent others have legal liberties, one has no security" (Singer, 1969 p. 985). The question of rights arises as the work of the great people needs to be protected from what has been achieved and what is required to be achieved. "The issue before thoughtful people is not the maintenance or abolition of private property, but the determination of the precise lines along which private enterprise must be given free scope and where it must be restricted in the interests of the common good" (Cohen, 1985, p. 304). Limitations of control of Information It has been observed that a great deal of intellectual property infringement occurs every day: Books or newspaper articles are photocopied, extra copies of software are made, videotapes of movies are created and exchanged, patented products are copied, modified and studied. Unquestionably, the advent of digital media and modern communications has only increased such forms of "everyday" infringement, such as file sharing and digital video recording. This gap between rights and enforcement is worth considering, as it implicates theories of intellectual property based on control. The following are the various costs involved in enforcing it: 1. Enforcement costs: It is quite axiomatic that intellectuals will not enforce rights where the costs of doing so outweigh the returns. The first is that that some owners will evaluate costs according to non-economic factors, and thus may be more or less sensitive to enforcement costs than an idealized model of rational behavior would suggest. (Colo, 1995) The second point to be made is that technological enforcement measures, paradigmatically digital rights management (DRM), may lower enforcement costs over time. Of course, DRM solutions themselves have significant costs associated with them, both in terms of fixed costs of development, deployment costs and potentially, lost sales due to consumer dissatisfaction. (Wagner, 2005) 2. Normative Limitations: The important role that social norms play in structuring behavior, both within and without a legal framework is well documented. (Cooter, 1996) The norms can be changed over time is surely true; the questions are how much and how long it takes. Certainly for the foreseeable future, we can expect norms to limit at least to a degree the enforcement of intellectual property rights. 3. Market place effects: The market's effect on intellectual property is of consideration in two ways. First, market pressures are likely to substantially limit the real monopoly power one might otherwise expect to be conferred by intellectual property rights. Additionally, similar pressures may even induce market actors to give away their intellectual property for low or for no cost. To put it simply total control is impossible. With the emerging Internet capabilities and Digital rights Management technology it can be enforced to a substantial extent. At least some of these limitations are mutable, changeable either by the law itself, long run economic pressures, or technological development. To some degree, of course, this is what the contemporary debate is all about: the perception, at least, that intellectual property rights are increasing in applicability and enforceability. Conclusion Information is vital for growth but at the same time it needs protection against illegal sharing and distribution. The essential truth it conveys that information is impossible to appropriate fully to oneself and may instead be a formidable new argument in favor of the control conferred by intellectual property rights. That each creation of even proprietary information expands the sum total of open information available for further technological, cultural, and social development suggests that the distinction between intellectual and more traditional forms of property may in fact provide even stronger justifications for intellectual property. (Wagner, 2005) The limitations of Information and the intellectual property rights only speak that the creation and dissemination of information is only further enhanced. We are all aware that the more we try to suppress something which is flowing well will take counterparts in growth. Control in some cases actually increase open information. Production of open information is tightly linked to the relationship between control and incentives to create policy analysis of intellectual property based on public domain effects are not independently useful. Furthermore, control offers both flexibility in information sharing or transfer arrangements and better coordination of activities that both produce and disseminate open information, to society's benefit. There are a number of important reasons to consider carefully the scope of intellectual property rights, especially transaction costs and coordination problems. Furthermore, the approach taken is distinctly quantitative in nature: evaluating arguments in terms of quantity of open information produced, rather than focusing on the qualitative nature of such information. There is little doubt that a rich source of open information, an intellectual commons from which new ideas and creativity can be drawn, is crucial to the advancement of our culture and our economy. (Wagner, 2005) The primary challenge in this regard is to establish a regime tailored to the production of information and once done, substantial components of such information will inevitably "spread . . . like fire, expansible over all space," irrespective of our best efforts to contain it. Some of the burning questions are still unanswered: 'How can information are better understood to achieve a deeper understanding of the problems relating to its various implications' and ultimately 'How can we provide better information systems and services for the users' The technology has a good amount of role to play in this context. In addition to it Information science has a role to play in these critical issues for modern society, redefined and restructured as needed. References Abbott, A.F.: 1990, "Developing A Framework For Intellectual Property To Advance Innovation," In R. W. Rushing & C. G. Brown (Eds.), Intellectual Property Rights In Science, Technology, And Economic Performance: International Comparisons , 32-46, (Westview Press,Boulder Co.). Barlow, Perry John. 1994. The Economy of Ideas-A framework for rethinking patents and copyrights in the Digital Age (Everything you know about intellectual property is wrong). Brown, C.G., & Rushing, F.W.:1990, "Intellectual property rights in the 1990s: Problems and solutions," In F. W. Rushing & C. G. Brown (Eds.), Intellectual Property Rights In Science, Technology, and Economic Performance: International Comparisons , pp. 32-46.(Westview, Boulder, Co.). BUSH, V. (1945). As we may think. Atlantic Monthly, 176,(1),101-108. Cohen, F.:1935, "Transcendental Nonsense and the Functional Approach," Columbia Law Review, 35(6), 809-849. Colo, D, 1995. Religious Tech. Ctr. v. F.A.C.T.N.E.T., Inc., 907 F. Supp. 1468. Cooter, D Robert. Decentralized Law for a Complex Economy: The Structural Approach to Adjudicating the New Law Merchant, 144 U. Pa. L. Rev 1643, 1643-96 (1996). Miller, J.K.:1979, Applying The New Copyright Law: A Guide For Educators And Librarians. (American Library Association, Chicago, IL). MOOERS, C.N. (1951). Zatocoding applied to mechanical organization of knowledge. American Documentatfon, 2, 232. Rozek, R.P.:1990, "Protection Of Intellectual Property Rights: Research And Development Decisions And Economic Growth," In F. W. Rushing & C. G. Brown (Eds.), Intellectual Property Rights In Science, Technology, And Economic Performance: International Comparisons , 32-46 (Westview, Boulder, Co). Saracevic, Tefko. Interdisciplinary nature of Information science. Sherwood, R.M.:1990, Intellectual Property And Economic Development . (Westview Press, San Francisco). Singer, J.W.: 1982, "The Legal Rights Debate in Analytical Jurisprudence from Bentham to Hohfeld," Wisconsin Law Review, vol. 975-1059. Wagner, Polk. May 9, 2005.INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND THE MYTHOLOGIES OF CONTROL. Waldron, J.:1984, "Introduction," In J. Waldron (Ed.), Theories of Rights, 1-20. (Oxford University Press, London). Read More