DLA Piper releases report on digital technology in business
Legal firm DLA Piper has launched the third part of its Shifting Landscape report, which looks at how businesses are dealing with piracy and the disruptive impact of digital technology.
Part three, which focuses on the challenge of valuing, protecting and exploiting digital assets, is released today, 5 July, and contains insight from business leaders.
Ian Grant, talking about Encyclopaedia Britannica, said: “We struggled at first because we published all our material online for free - the idea was to get revenue from selling advertising space. However, millions of people looked at it and we didn’t know how to monetise the traffic. Within a year, we had done a handbrake turn and changed our offering into a subscription product”.
Looking at the legal challenged created by the current framework, James Waterworth from Nokia said in the report: “The lawmakers and policymakers have to live with multi-jurisdictional fact, rather than trying to ignore it. There is a danger that policymakers will say ‘It’s multi-jurisdictional and I can’t control it, so therefore I must fragment the internet. Then I can control my bit, and others will control their bit’.”
Part one of the report (released 4 May) looked at the online channel into market, and suggested that while companies realised the opportunities held by the internet, many felt they could not exploit them.
Part two (released 1 June) looked at cloud computing and the IT and legal issues that occurred from it.
John McKinlay, head of DLA Piper Scotland’s intellectual property and technology group, said: “Technology has totally transformed the routes to market for business, allowing companies to operate across many continents and jurisdictions.
“With the dramatic increase in the size of the market have come significant new challenges, such as how best to protect intellectual property and fully exploit digital assets.
“Every organisation should be working on a coherent strategy to address these issues, which in some cases can be a question of ‘adapt or die’. Our report takes a thought provoking and stimulating look at the challenges. I look forward to discussing these further with our clients and contacts in Scotland.”