This article is a survey of publications by economists writing on
copyright law. It begins with a general overview of how economists analyse
these questions; the distinction is made between the economics of copying
and the economic aspects of copyright law as analysed in law and economics.
It then continues with sections on research on the effects of copying and
downloading and the effects of unauthorised use (‘piracy’) and ends with an
overall evaluation of the economics of copyright in the light of recent technological
changes. Economists have always been, and still are, somewhat sceptical
about copyright and question what alternatives there are to it. On balance,
most accept the role of copyright law in the creative industries while urging
caution about its becoming too strong. And although European authors’ rights
are different in legal terms from the Anglo-American copyright, the economic
analysis of these laws is essentially the same